A.G. Gancarski
Republican Nick Howland flipped a Democratic seat on the Jacksonville City Council Tuesday, winning the Special Election for the at large Group 3 seat vacated by the passing of Tommy Hazouri.
With all precincts reporting, Howland finished more than 4,800 votes ahead, drawing 51.8% of the vote overall and proving again that Republicans win Election Day in Duval.
Democratic candidate Tracye Polson won the early vote, with 53.5% of the combined in-person early voting and mail-in ballots and a nearly 5,000 vote advantage before Election Day.
However, she did not bank sufficient numbers to overcome robust Republican turnout Tuesday, with Republicans getting nearly 9,000 more votes on Tuesday than Democrats.
During the lunch hour, Republicans took the overall turnout lead, and didn’t relinquish it. The Republican turnout advantage kept building as the day went on, stretching to nearly 5,000 raw votes and nearly 4% of the total vote as polls closed.
The raw vote total was: Howland won 68,215 votes to 63,404 votes for Polson in unofficial results.
Howland is ready to hit the ground running.
“One of the things we have coming up very quickly is the budget for next year,” Howland told The Florida Times-Union. “I look forward to working with the Mayor, working with the rest of the City Council and the Sheriff to make sure the budget delivers what this city needs, particularly safer streets and neighborhoods.”
Polson remained positive in defeat.
“We ran a love filled, truth filled, justice filled campaign and I am so proud of Team Polson!” Polson posted on Twitter. “Thank everyone for your faith in me!”
Both candidates raised and spent big money in this race. Polson had reported raising $483,000 between her campaign account and her political committee through the end of January, the last date for which records are available, with 56% of that being self-funded. Howland did not self-fund, instead he drew on the business community to raise $340,000 through the end of January.
Each campaign attacked the other candidate’s fundraising, with Polson accusing Howland of collecting “dark money,” while Howland’s campaign spotlighted an influx of out-of-state donations for Polson.
Meanwhile, despite the campaign being a local race to fill a little more than a year left of a City Council term, statewide players abounded for both Polson and Howland during the closing stretch.
Democrats came during Early Voting. U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist visited Jacksonville last week, with state Sen. Annette Taddeo dropping in Saturday and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried appearing Sunday.
However, Republicans with national prominence emerged to endorse Howland on Monday, in announcements seemingly timed not to energize the Democratic base during Early Voting.
“This is an important election that we must win,” urged U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in an endorsement Monday.
“Nick’s opponent is a radical leftist who openly supports defunding the police and taking officers off the streets,” charged Gov. Ron DeSantis in a robocall that irked Polson backers, who spent most of the stretch run of the campaign disputing assertions from Republicans that she wanted to “defund the police.”
Polson had finished first in the four-way First Election in December, less than a percentage point ahead of Howland. But maintaining voter enthusiasm for the second round proved to be difficult, as did overcoming a cohesive Republican effort backing Howland.
Republicans mocked Polson, noting she lost another expensive campaign in 2018 for the Florida House, and contending the apparent strategy of linking Howland to Mayor Lenny Curry worked out better for the Republican than the attacking Democrat.
The Duval County Democrats offered a statement, blaming dirty campaigning for their loss.
“Howland ran a campaign riddled with deceptions and mistruths,” the local party said, attacking in defeat.
Republicans continue to maintain a hold on local politics, with 14 of 19 City Council seats and all countywide offices. This election shows that endures, even with Democrats holding a nearly six-point edge in party registration.
National and state Republicans framed Tuesday’s outcome as a sign of things to come.
“Good to see Florida Democrats aren’t waiting until November to start losing,” snarked RNC spokeswoman Julia Friedland.
Also congratulating Howland were the Florida GOP and Mayor Curry.
Congratulations to @RonDeSantisFL endorsed candidate, @NickHowland15, on his big victory tonight. We’re keeping Florida RED! pic.twitter.com/d4u0aXzurL
— Florida GOP (@FloridaGOP) February 23, 2022
It’s a good night with @NickHowland15 as he talks with @GovRonDeSantis about the win. pic.twitter.com/myJWm4ukin
— Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) February 23, 2022
26 comments
Tom
February 22, 2022 at 9:09 pm
Gov has coattails. Crist, Fried and Tarantula got a beat down! WhAt a slam dunk.
Get ready Dems, avalanche is coming.
Wait til Nov/22.
LMAO
john
February 23, 2022 at 1:58 pm
Celebrating the GOP – the party of CHILD RAPIST Trump & domestic terrorism is reprehensible.
Tom
February 24, 2022 at 12:29 am
No child rapist and no domestic.
John you are mentally ill. So clueless, lies no one has been charged.
Embarrassment in lies.
Ron Ogden
February 22, 2022 at 9:10 pm
Defund the Democrats: that’s what makes more sense.
A hundred years ago a Dem-dominated court ruled the Florida Republican Party didn’t legally exist. How the worms turn.
If I were a D in a safe seat I would be thinking only–ONLY–about keeping that seat if I could, fuggedabout campaigning for another.
Bob
February 22, 2022 at 9:18 pm
Sign of things to come.
Tom
February 22, 2022 at 9:26 pm
Tell ocean Joe that.
The Dums got a beat down tonight and a avalanche coming in Nov.
Virginia was plus 10 pts Dems/Biden in 20.
It flipped plus 2 in Nov. 21 Govs race. A 12 pt swing. Florida is plus Repub. Biden is 37% approval in Florida. In Florida not that many safe seats left for Dems. Just saying.
Frankie M.
February 22, 2022 at 10:03 pm
I am Jack’s complete lack of surprise. Apathy usually trumps accountability in these special elections no one knows about. Now this empty suit can get on with the important business of giving away taxpayer subsidies to private corporations while defunding public education. Read: big bucks for charter schools with radical ideologies & punishing public schools for keeping kids safe. It was good of Gov. Frontrunner to call his shot at the last second. At least Crist had some cojones & didn’t wait to see which way the winds were blowing before placing his bet.
The one good thing about this election cycle is that it brought back recycling. You can thank Polson for that. All it took was a race nobody cared enough to vote in. Now Lenny & the Council just need to figure out how to pay for it. You mouthbreathers might not want to hold your breath. See what I did there? Can’t wait to do this all again in a year & a half.
Tom
February 22, 2022 at 10:24 pm
Clueless you smart ass want a be.
Your cheap 2 cent synopsis sounds like a 3 year old whining, cause he didn’t get his way.
BTW, America’s Gov went in with robo call before Scott so he has elephant Kahones!
Figure out your calendar pal, the next ass kicking comes in 9 months, Nov/22. Not a year in half. When you know what the Dums run on share it. Biden’s numbers are abysmal! If you think DeSantis and Rubio won’t benefit from this incompetent you are nuts.
Looking forward to the best GOP mid term
Since Gingrich’s 64 seat pick up. Google it!
Call your other Manchurians, I’m bored!
Tune into America’s Gov on Th, at afternoon at Conservative Pol action conf in Orlando.
Frankie M.
February 23, 2022 at 9:08 am
A lot of personal animosity and self-righteous indignation from the mouthbreathers on here. Whatever turns out the base I guess.
Phil Morton
February 23, 2022 at 5:13 am
“Republicans Vote Here Today” signs at nearly every precinct, confusing voters and Jacksonville’s finest pulling over drivers en masse on the northside, GOP voter suppression was on full display yesterday.
Tom
February 23, 2022 at 6:58 am
Crock a crap Morton.
What a bunch of whiners, Frankie & Phil. Grow up, be a mang!
Crisipy, Fraud & Tarantula got whipped. America’s Gov, geniuses with robo, text campaign 24 hrs before, ensures avalanche turn out.
Dems base vote has collapsed across around the country. Nov 22 huge pick up year coming for Repubs. Stop whining.
Frankie M.
February 23, 2022 at 9:13 am
Just par for the course for these mouthbreathers.
Let’s also not forget all the misleading “defund the police” mailers sent out to potential Polson voters. Mental health services are seen as a potential threat to police funding while “conservatives” have no qualms about defunding public education to keep the school to prison pipeline thriving. Just ask them. They’ll tell you.
tldr:) Republican aim is not to turnout the vote but to keep voters from going to the polls. Whatever it takes to suppress the vote. Amirite comrades??
Rj
February 23, 2022 at 7:44 am
I think the takeaway is messing with the cheaters by republicans not voting early and showing up on Election Day. Sounds like the robocall did that
Tom
February 23, 2022 at 8:04 am
Called a avalanche in turnout!
Wait til November!
Robo & text campaign last 24 hrs was brilliant! Frankie & Phil crying, so it was highly successful. LMAO. Get used to it. More to follow.
Frankie M.
February 23, 2022 at 9:17 am
Don’t hate the playa. Hate the game. I’m just spittin facts here. You’re entitled to your wrong opinion but not to your own set of facts. Seems to me all the mouthbreathers on here are the new “snowflakes” with all their boogeymen like CRT and “don’t say gay” bills.
Kyle
February 24, 2022 at 3:32 am
The nation’s largest teacher’s union endorsed CRT and vows to oppose bans on the 1619 Project, which was pilloried by historians for its inaccuracy. If you put your head in the sand long enough you can pretend anything doesn’t exist…
Funny that the “don’t say gay” bill actually doesn’t say the word “gay” in it. I guess the “don’t teach sexual orientation to kindergarteners” bill doesn’t rile up the Democrat base enough.
Tom
February 23, 2022 at 12:16 pm
I have no idea what you say.
You got routed.
It’s a red wave, Virginia proved it.
Plus 10 Biden in 20, in 21 plus 2 Youngkin.
Florida will be more severe. Extrapolated across country. Gingrich like in 94, 64 seat pick up.
Get ready, Biden is at 37% in Florida approval.
John
February 23, 2022 at 2:49 pm
You’re an incoherent coward, like most of the Florida GOP.
Tom
February 23, 2022 at 4:22 pm
John, Anytime you want to meet
I’ll show you coward you ass wipe
Go F yourself and spy with Hillary.
You Manchurian, Let me know when you want to meet.
You are a scumcrat.
john
February 23, 2022 at 2:04 pm
He’s a sad human being. He’s happy that the GOP won – the party of the child rapist & domestic terrorism inciter. Some people are just evil.
Tom
February 23, 2022 at 6:01 pm
John, You are a Fng a hole.
You are just a ignorant, dumb ass.
What’s hard to understand? The floor has dropped, the Dems vote has collapsed.
Anytime you want to meet I’ll show you coward.
Nichole
February 23, 2022 at 8:21 pm
Just randomly came across the site and as a parent and grandparent I am exhausted with all of the left defund the police, abort your babies, woman are men, every white person is racist! Enough!!! This is not how I raised my children and I am done ✅ at least republicans give you a chance to voice, they may not agree or like but they don’t censor or mock your choice! I was a moderate but no more. Dear democrats your party has been robbed by liberals!!!
Tom
February 24, 2022 at 10:15 am
Ultra Liberal socialist anti America Extremists, not liberals. Yes
DeSantis is America’s Gov, crushing the competition literally. 58% approval, 24% Dems supporting him cause Biden is abysmal. Crispy, Fraud and Tarantula losers!
Hey Frankie M, how’s your busted balls feeling now! Rupture.
Duval Conservative
February 24, 2022 at 2:56 am
Ok, Nick, we put you in office, now we want you to keep your promises, in June/July when a vote comes up.
Dave Spencer
February 28, 2022 at 6:09 pm
My wife and I just moved to Florida from a deep blue state. We voted for Nick Howland. We moved here for the freedom DeSantis has kept in Florida. People used to come to Florida to avoid the northern winters and you called them snowbirds. I guess you can call us freebirds!
Tom
February 28, 2022 at 8:49 pm
Amen Brother. So true.
We refer to him as America’s Governor. The best!
Comments are closed.