Wes Wolfe
Former Councilmember John Draper emerged from a 1995 City Council election repeat when he drew more votes than fellow Republican Alberta Hipps, making it into the runoff with Democrat Rahman Johnson in Jacksonville City Council District 14.
He could not consolidate GOP support, though, as Johnson defeated him in the District 14 runoff, 53%-47%.
Fundraising for the race ran a little counter to normal, as the person with the most dollars on record, Republican Matt McCullough later withdrew from the race, and Hipps, the No. 2 fundraiser, was eliminated in the first round of voting.
Elected as a Duval County Soil and Water Commissioner in 1999 at the age of 22, Johnson was the youngest Black elected official in state history.
Johnson more than doubled Draper’s fundraising take, posting around $47,300 before the runoff, compared to Draper’s haul of around $19,700. Draper spent nearly every dollar he took in, while Johnson had a little more than $6,000 on hand as of the last reports.
Johnson led the First Election with 46%. Draper finished second with 30%. Hipps, who closed out with 24%, beat Draper in the 1995 race.
