JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Statewide, Florida Republicans are heading into Election Day having cast tens of thousands more votes than Democrats… But that’s not at all the case here in Duval County.
As of Monday morning, Democrats in Duval County had outvoted Republicans by nearly 10,400.
“We’re definitely encouraged. I think this is the largest lead we’ve had heading into Election Day,” said Millie Leeds, Chair of the Duval County Democratic Party.
Leeds, who recently took over as Chair, notes Democrats have opportunities to make real gains on Tuesday.
Democrats account for 52 percent of all votes cast in Duval at this point, which is significant, because if they’re able to get their preferred candidates above 50 percent support, they’ll win outright.
The City Council Group 1 At-Large seat, currently held by a Republican, is on the ballot.
Three school board seats are also up for grabs, two of which are currently held by conservative board members.
“I think when it comes to the school board, any seats that we can pick up will help with the ideological shift, because for so long it has been Republican controlled,” said Leeds.
But Charles Barr, Chair of the Duval GOP, said he’s been working overtime to get Republicans to show up on Election Day itself.
“I think they’re gonna come out in huge numbers. You know, that’s usually the day that Republicans like to party and get out and vote,” said Barr.
If no candidate in any one of the four local races manages to hit 50 percent support on Tuesday, the top two candidates will face off head-to-head in a runoff election this November.
And Barr predicts that will likely be the outcome in most of the local races.
“In November I think the stakes will be a little bit higher and I don’t think we’ll have this same conversation in November,” said Barr.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
