Jimmy Peluso wins Jacksonville City Council race on second try

downtown jacksonville
His second run for office went better than the first.

Democrat Jimmy Peluso breezed to victory Tuesday night, showing that perseverance pays off.

Peluso crushed Republican Joseph Hogan, 65% to 35%, with all results in.

Peluso, a Navy veteran and lobbyist for the VyStar Credit Union, ran in the former District 14 in 2019, finishing in third place and missing the runoff. Four years later, he found a remapped District 7 to be more hospitable territory, taking advantage of a Democratic registration edge to cruise to victory.

Though the March election saw Peluso ahead by just 3 points (35% to 32%), May was a new reality.

Peluso had originally filed to run in the former District 14, but the new map gave him a more favorable setup in the district extending from Ortega to Springfield, a map designed to favor Democrats. Democrats comprise 52% of the district’s electorate, while Republicans have just 25%, according to the most recent L2 voter data.

Traditional business interests, including the JAXBIZ political committee affiliated with the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, rallied to Peluso against Hogan, a social conservative and the son of the outgoing Supervisor of Elections who had run for state House before in the district.

Peluso dominated fundraising, meanwhile. He raised more than $216,000, which for perspective was the most raised by any Democrat running for any office by Mayor in the 2023 cycle. Hogan, a grassroots candidate, couldn’t match, raising under $40,000 throughout the race.

Peluso credits his campaign manager Austin Belet for doing an “incredible job” in this race.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski



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