Democrat Donna Deegan’s decisive win over a Republican in the Jacksonville mayor’s race will make her the first woman to hold the job in the Florida city’s history, sparking a flicker of hope for a besieged Democratic Party that has few levers of power in a state dominated in recent years by the GOP. Deegan earned 52% of the vote in Tuesday’s election to defeat Republican Daniel Davis, according to unofficial results. About 217,000 people voted in the race, for a turnout of 33%. The Democratic victory is the party’s first for the Jacksonville mayor’s office since Alvin Brown's win in 2011. Republican Lenny Curry defeated Brown in 2015. Curry could not run this year because of term limits and Deegan will take over July 1.
