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MIAMI Donna Deegan, a Democrat, was elected mayor of Jacksonville on Tuesday, shaking up the politics of Floridas largest city, where Republican mayors have been in power for all but four of the last 30 years.

Ms. Deegan, a former television news anchor, defeated Daniel Davis, a Republican endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had been seen as the likely favorite in the traditionally Republican stronghold. In recent years, Jacksonville had been the most populous city in the country with a Republican mayor, Lenny Curry, who is term-limited; that distinction now goes to Fort Worth, Texas.

Ms. Deegans victory is a rare bright spot for Florida Democrats, whose losses have mounted in recent elections to the point that the party has little sway in the State Capitol and a thin candidate bench.

But while Florida has become decidedly more Republican and while many have viewed Mr. DeSantis, a likely 2024 presidential contender, as all-powerful in state politics Jacksonville has emerged as a swingy corner of the state. A majority of voters in Duval County, which shares a consolidated government with the city of Jacksonville, voted for the Democratic nominee for governor in 2018, for the Republican mayor in 2019, for President Biden in 2020, for Mr. DeSantis last year, and now for Ms. Deegan, who will be the citys first female mayor.

We made history tonight, Ms. Deegan told cheering supporters Tuesday night after Mr. Davis conceded.

Ms. Deegan campaigned as a change candidate, leaning into the relationships she had made in the community as she overcame breast cancer three times while working on television and as she later created the Donna Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps people diagnosed with breast cancer.

I made a decision when we got into this race that, no matter what happened, no matter what the landscape was like, we were going to lead with love over fear, Ms. Deegan said Tuesday night. We would not go with division. We would go with unity.

Mr. Davis, the chief executive of the local chamber of commerce, out-raised Ms. Deegan by a margin of four to one and seemed like the sort of business-friendly Republican that has long dominated elections in Jacksonville, a Navy and shipping town. Mr. Curry, the outgoing mayor, was previously the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

Mr. Davis was known as more of a moderate when he was a state lawmaker, and as the leader of JAX Chamber he supported positions such as protections for the L.G.B.T.Q. community. But as a mayoral candidate, he campaigned from the political right, promising to promote causes espoused by the conservative group Moms for Liberty, which is closely aligned with Mr. DeSantis. He also pledged to be tough on crime in a city that has struggled with stubbornly high crime rates for years, including under Republican leadership.

In advertisements, Mr. Davis and other Republicans cast Ms. Deegan as radical for backing demonstrators after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 though Mr. Curry and other local Republicans also supported the protests at the time.

On Tuesday night, Mr. Davis said he would be willing to help Ms. Deegan for the good of the city. Im going to do everything I can to make sure Mayor-elect Deegan is successful in making Jacksonville the best Jacksonville it can be, he said. The city has a strong-mayor form of government, giving the mayor broad administrative powers.

Mr. DeSantis, who won Duval County by an 11 percentage-point margin in November, did not endorse Mr. Davis until late March after Mr. Davis had already been forced into Tuesdays runoff against Ms. Deegan.

Beyond his lukewarm endorsement, which took place via Twitter on a Friday afternoon, Mr. DeSantis offered Mr. Davis little support. The governor did not visit Jacksonville to campaign, unlike one of Floridas other top Republicans, Senator Rick Scott, who spent last weekend knocking on voters doors.

In 2020, Ms. Deegan lost a congressional race by 22 percentage points. On Wednesday morning, unofficial results showed she had won about 52 percent of the vote, compared with Mr. Daviss 48 percent, a difference of about 9,000 votes. Turnout was about 33 percent.

Though 39 percent of Duval County voters are registered Democrats, compared with 35 percent registered Republicans and 24 percent registered without party affiliation, Republican voters outnumbered Democratic ones by about 3.5 percentage points on Tuesday meaning that Ms. Deegan won independents and crossover Republican votes.

Five other Jacksonville Democrats were elected on Tuesday, one as property appraiser and four to the City Council.

Ashley Walker, a political consultant for Ms. Deegan, said that campaigning on local issues and with a candidate who connected well with voters were key to flipping Jacksonville from red to blue.

Democrats in Florida have to eat the elephant piece by piece, she said. We have to go win in these local areas that are purple and get down to the base of some local campaigns to have any chance of coming back statewide.

Nicholas Nehamas contributed reporting.

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Democrat Donna Deegan Wins Jacksonvilles Mayor Race in Florida Upset - The New York Times

National Democrats are heartened by Rollins close loss to Rep. Ken Calvert, dean of the California Republican delegation, in 2022.|Francis Chung/POLITICO

Rollins formal entry into the race again throws into play a tight district that became bluer as part of the last redistricting process, including picking up Palm Springs and its large LGBTQ community. National Democrats are heartened not just by Rollins close loss to Calvert in 2022, where he was among the top overperformers in the country, but also by recent swings in voter registration that give the party a slim advantage. Trump narrowly carried the 41st district in 2020, and Democrats expect it to go to Biden in 2024. And they view Rollins as having the kind of profile that could appeal to unaligned voters in a fast-changing part of the state.

Rollins added: I think we built a really great foundation for flipping the seat in 24, and Im not masochistic enough to do it twice without knowing I can win.

The region has been a political hotbed, with another likely rematch further down the ballot coming between state Assemblymember Greg Wallis (R-Bermuda Dunes) and Democrat Christy Holstege.

While at least two other Democrats have announced plans to challenge Calvert for the House seat hes held for more than three decades, Rollins announcement comes with heavy reinforcement, including Day 1 endorsements from Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and all three major Democratic U.S. Senate candidates, Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.

In the interview, Rollins said he plans to talk up his support for congressional term limits, which he favors as six terms for the House and three in the U.S. Senate. He favors a cap on Supreme Court justice terms and likes the idea of federal circuit judges that rotate on and off of the high court. Rollins said he doesnt favor age limits for elected officials, though.

The concern I have with a blanket rule on age is that some people can function very well at an older age and some people at a younger age are incompetent, he said.

He wasted no time in assailing Cavert for earmarking money over his long career in Congress and personally profiting off of the projects. He repeatedly sought to tie Calvert to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, refusing to certify the 2020 results in key battleground states and later downplaying the legal severity for the rioters. Rollins also pointed to recent contributions to Calverts campaign from the likes of GOP firebrands Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan. Democrats also have tried to paint Calvert as being out of step with the redrawn districts values, particularly around LGBTQ rights.

Abortion rights, too, will be a major differentiator this time, Rollins said.

I think in 22, some voters in states like California and New York may not have perceived the threat to reproductive health care access as credible. They thought they lived in blue states so they would be safe, he said. That is absolutely not the case in 24 when Congress and the White House are up for grabs.

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A do-over in the desert: California Democrat who almost won seeks ... - POLITICO

Party penalty?

The Democratic National Committee is prepared to penalize Alabama Democrats for the rolling back of changes to the Alabama Democratic Partys bylaws, according to a report from the Alabama Reflector.

The Reflector report said the DNC has sent a letter to Kelley, saying the latest changes may lead to unequal treatment of minority groups. And that if the issues arent addressed it could end up costing Alabama representation in the primary president election.

Redirection

The Alabama state Senate Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation Committee reworked a bill that passed the House of Representatives last week, reports AL.coms Mike Cason.

The bill, as written and passed by the House, was intended to ban Chinese citizens and businesses from buying property in Alabama. That includes Chinese citizens who live and work legally in Alabama.

The bill that came out of the Senate committee on Wednesday doesnt ban Chinese citizens who live in Alabama from buying property. What it does do is ban the governments of China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from buying property in Alabama thats used for agriculture or forestry or is within 10 miles of a military base or critical infrastructure.

Never too much bandwidth

Huntsville has been selected as one of four U.S. test cities for Google Fibers 20G internet connection, reports AL.coms Leada Gore.

Green Bay is NOT a test city, by the way. The other three areas are Austin, Texas, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

This test is designed for companies or organizations that download or upload huge amounts of data and need ridiculous bandwidth.

A slow-cooked mea culpa

I havent said anything yet about its being National Barbecue Month.

To some people thats a little like not acknowledging the opening of college football season, I realize.

It was brought to my attention when I read Mary Colursos story on rock musician Alice Cooper dropping by Full Moon BBQ in Hoover. And I mention THAT just because it feels like theres all kinds of cultural clash to see macabre shock-rocker Alice Cooper in a Hoover barbecue joint. If you saw Lyle Lovett at Saws or Hank Jr. at Hooks it wouldnt feel too out of place.

But Coopers a cultural clash anyway. Hes more likely to be caught playing Ross Bridge when it opens as doing anything spooky about town.

So the whole point to this story is ... happy National Barbecue Month. And remember, brisket is great but needs to get its own month because, in Alabama, barbecue comes from a pig. That ought to be in our state Constitution.

Everything else has been.

The podcast

The Down in Alabama podcast is short and free. Listen to it by clicking on the player above or subscribe by looking for Down in Alabama on the device of your choosing.

You can find Down in Alabama in these places:

Apple podcast page

YouTube podcast page

Spotify podcast page

Alexa skill page on Amazon

Amazon Music podcast page

Ike Morgan on Facebook

Ike Morgan on Twitter

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Democrat tiff, Chinese and land, Google 20G: Down in Alabama - AL.com

Texas

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett tells why shes backing an assault weapons ban and why Republicans are cowards

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett was in Dallas when the shocking news broke. At a shopping mall in the suburb of Allen, a gunman shot and killed eight people, including three children. He was later revealed to have posted photos online displaying Nazi tattoos on his arm and torso.

I was texting my mom to see where she was, because its a suburb 30 miles north of my district, and on the weekends she usually goes shopping, Crockett, 42, recalls in an interview at her office in Washington. She texted me: Im at my friends house. Why? Because of Allen. Whats going on in Allen? And Im like, Theres a shooting at the mall.

Crockett was already scheduled for an interview on the MSNBC network, and spent the next hours responding on air to a developing story that now has a sickening deja vu quality in America, with the nations political class seemingly paralysed.

The Democrat reflects: Its heartbreaking. At the end of the day, as we saw the carnage, I wasnt thinking or wondering, well, is that a Democrat or Republican or independent? I was thinking, Weve got to do better, and honestly, those bullets didnt have R, D or I on them, either.

Crockett can see the failings and follies of Washington on this and other issues through fresh eyes.

The former lawyer and Texas state representative was sworn in last January to represent Texass 30th congressional district, which is home to 750,000 people and includes portions of Dallas and Tarrant counties. She is the first Black woman to serve as freshman leadership representative.

After the mass shooting in Allen, she saw firsthand Republicans refusal to budge on gun safety. Ted Cruz, senator for Texas, and Keith Self, a freshman congressman who represents Allen, both offered prayers for the families but offered no meaningful solutions.

Crockett adds: No one seemingly wants to take up the conversation about the far-right extremism that he had. No one wants to accept that part of the chaos and carnage is actually being stoked by the rhetoric that is being spewed by the Republican party.

If Congress took responsibility, she argues, it could pass smart gun legislation instead of staging yet another partisan brawl. I myself am a Texan. I own a gun or a couple. I am licensed to carry. I am all the things. But its all or nothing, Oh, well, Democrats just want to take your guns away. No.

She does support Joe Bidens call for an assault weapons ban. There are definitely guns that we want to take away because its the equivalent of some of these people having cannon; Im sorry, but its not OK for my next-door neighbor to have a cannon.

If we want to minimise the carnage and damage that is done when someone is evil and is just going to do what they do, this is about mitigation, this is about saving lives. People literally have almost no chance of surviving when some of these weapons are used. I dont understand why we need them.

She describes Republicans as cowards on the issue and believes that their stance can be explained by a primary election system that rewards extremism and discourages moderation. This, in turn, flows from gerrymandering the manipulation of district boundaries to favor one party made easier by erosion of the Voting Rights Act.

People have told me, Ill lose my primary if I dont do this, even if its completely against what even the majority of their district wants because of whos going to show up in that primary.

Two years ago, Crockett was among Democrats in the Texas legislature who fled Austin for Washington to deny a quorum to Republicans seeking to overhaul elections and impose new voting restrictions. The standoff lasted for 38 consecutive days and remains one of the dramatic showdowns over voting rights in America. Crockett believes there was a lesson for national Democrats: sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

Ive been all over the state of Texas for various campaigns and I talk to people and ask them, why is it that you dont want to vote? Honestly, I have heard more than once that Democrats are weak. We are not weak, but there is this perception.

She added: I was only the 22nd black woman ever elected to the Texas House, and I wouldnt be here but for people having courage. At some point in time we cant just rely on the traditions and sit here because it doesnt work if both sides arent in and, at this point in time, Ive decided that the Republicans are not in for democracy. So we have to be in.

Republicans are determined to retain power by any means necessary, she argues, because they know their policies do not align with the majority of Americans. She cites examples such as abortion bans, firmly rejected by voters in Kansas, and student loan forgiveness, popular in opinion polls, as evidence that Democrats are more in touch with public sentiment.

Yet this does not always translate at the ballot box as Republican tout themselves as the party of middle America and Democrats as the party of coastal elites. Its hard to understand how we are failing at communicating that, no matter if youre in urban America or if youre in rural America, were fighting for you.

Is it lonely to be a Democrat in Texas? The Lone Star State has gone red in 11 consecutive presidential elections from Ronald Reagan in 1980 to Donald Trump in 2020. Both its senators and its governor are Republicans. Counterintuitively, however, Crockett contends that Texas is already a blue state.

People think Im crazy because its so extreme and all we get is the extreme stories. But I believe my state is blue because were probably the only majority-minority state that is red; most majority-minority states are blue. So demographically its there.

But despite record turnout in 2020, Texas ranked 44th out of 50 states in terms of ballots counted as a proportion of the total voting-eligible population, according to the United States Elections Project.

Crockett said: We continually have one of the lowest voter turnouts in the entire country. If you make it difficult to access the ballot box, then you can have this minority rule.

Another opportunity to change the narrative of Texas politics will come in next years presidential election. When Crockett speaks to young people, she finds that their first concern is guns and their second is voting rights. Since the overturning of Roe v Wade by the supreme court, Republicans have been struggling to defend unpopular restrictions on abortion or even a potential national ban.

As a criminal defence attorney, I have had to deal with cases where fathers were raping their little girls. This is the reality of some of the things that happen and then telling that little girl you cant do anything about it? There are people that arent necessarily for abortion for whatever reasons but they understand that you cant just say under no circumstances, were not doing this, period, ever.

Honestly, the Republicans have thrown us a bone, and it is going to be moms and young people.

Biden was elected on a vow to heal the soul of the nation after the horror of white supremacists and neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville, Virginia. But the presidents efforts to pursue racial justice through police reform and voting rights stalled in the Senate while Trump still looms large in the political landscape. The government has warned racially motivated extremists pose a bigger terrorism threat than potential attacks from overseas.

Crockett admits: Weve got an affirmative action case in the supreme court and Im sure the darkest one [Justice Clarence Thomas] on the supreme court is probably gonna lead the charge in getting rid of it. Then its like, Oh, see? The Black man on the supreme court said it. Its ridiculous. We also know, especially in the state of Texas, that our governor is going after DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion].

But, if Biden faces Trump in the race for the White House again, Crockett believes the Democrat will repeat his 2020 victory, in part because of LGBTQ+ voters and young voters who feel they are under attack. But what of the Black voters who were so fundamental to Bidens success?

Its always complicated for the African American community but, if we make the investments, then were fine. Black people for the longest have felt like they have carried this country, whether it is building literally these houses that I sit in right now, or showing up and being the backbone of the Democratic vote. It is a tough conversation to have with Black folk.

This was a crucial motivation for Crockett to become the freshman representative to leadership. I thought, golly, I have enough on my plate trying to figure out how to be a member of Congress but it was time that we are at the table. There had not been a Black woman elected to leadership in the Democratic caucus since Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman in Congress.

It is important I make it clear that we are making strides, ever so slightly. Its even a fight within our party. A lot of times theres this idea that we should paint everything as if its perfect and I dont subscribe to it. I subscribe to being real and most people respect when they feel like youre being honest and real.

Crockett has to head off to the House chamber to cast a vote. But first she shares another thought. Nothing in this world is perfect, but at least the Democrats are fighting for a more perfect union. The Republicans are not.

I am in leadership because I think a Black womans voice needs to be at the table as we are crafting our messages, as we are prioritising our voters. Thats necessary, and so thats the role that I intend to continue to play fight for the courting of Black voters, fight for listening to what their priorities are, fight for them to truly believe that they will be heard if they show up.

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This is about saving lives: the Texas Democrat fighting for gun control and abortion rights - The Guardian US

Pennsylvania House Democrats will retain their one-seat majority in the state House, after spending more than $1 million to defend their control of the chamber.

The Associated Press declared Democrat Heather Boyd the winner of the special election to replace former State Rep. Mike Zabel. She defeated Republican Katie Ford in the 163rd House District. Libertarian Alfe Goodwin also ran for the seat.

Democrats outspent Republicans 10-to-1 to preserve their majority, which they achieved in February for the first time in 12 years.

Boyd was confident she would win and gave a victory speech at a packed bar in Drexel Hill shortly before 10 p.m. She talked about the work Democrats have done over the last few years to flip each of the state seats.

Im ready to fight to make sure you have a voice, she said.

Something very near and very dear to my heart is to all the young girls and women who came out, even some of them for the first time, to protect a womans right to choose in Pennsylvania, Boyd said. I will always stand up for you and Pennsylvania. Her speech closed out with attendees chanting Heather.

By 10:30 p.m., Ford said in a statement: At the end of the day, I ran a campaign with honesty and integrity and that is more important than winning.

House Democrats promised to continue the work they have started since taking the majority in February, such as advancing a number of long-sought legislative priorities they previously couldnt get a vote for in committee, including gun reforms and protections from discrimination for LGBTQ residents.

Whoever controls the House sets the agenda on state policies for elections, school funding, taxes, abortion access, gun reform, and more.

Just weeks after Democrats assumed control of the chamber, the 163rd House District seat opened up when Zabel, a Democrat, resigned over allegations of sexual harassment.

Republicans tried to emphasize the sexual harassment allegations, but did not invest big money in trying to flip the Democrat-leaning district.

Throughout the two-month campaign, Ford stressed Zabels misconduct and Boyds knowledge of it along with her commitment to her community, where shes lived her whole life.

Boyd focused her campaign on maintaining the Democrats House majority and thus, reproductive rights. She specifically is concerned with a constitutional amendment passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly last year in the wake of Roe v. Wades reversal that would not be eligible for a gubernatorial veto.

Voters in Montour County and parts of Northumberland County also went to the polls for a special election, but that vacant House seat remained in Republican hands. Michael Stender is projected to win the 108th District race based on unofficial results, according to the Associated Press.

Boyd, 46, chairs the Upper Darby Democratic Committee and left her job as a senior adviser to U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D., Delaware) in March to run. Shes been involved in Democratic politics in the Philadelphia suburb for years and previously served on the local school board.

Ford, 43, is an early intervention specialist, deeply involved in the local Home and School associations. Shes a lifelong Upper Darby resident and military veteran who describes herself as a political newcomer, spending what little free time she has rescuing dogs.

Democrats big spending seemed to pay off: The constant ads, texts, and calls worked to get Melanie Maron out to vote for Boyd at her polling place, St. Johns Indian Orthodox Church. She liked Boyds promise to protect abortion access in the state, and voted down-ticket for Democrats.

Heather Boyd has been shoved down my throat so many times, Maron said. By now I get the picture.

However, Boyds ads showing Ford as opposing reproductive rights convinced John Carullo to vote for Ford. (Ford told The Inquirer she would not support a constitutional amendment that Republicans in the state General Assembly passed last year to declare Pennsylvanians have no right to an abortion in the state.)

All Ive heard is that [Ford] is pro-life, and I havent heard anything else, Carullo said. He hoped Republicans would regain control of the state House.

Martha McHale, an Upper Darby resident, said she voted for Boyd because shes a Democrat who will support abortion access in the state.

Im not interested in going back 50 years, McHale added.

Zabel first flipped the seat in 2018 from longtime Republican control, and its become bluer ever since: Under new district maps approved last year, 51% of registered voters in the district are Democrats, 37% are Republicans, and 12% are not affiliated.

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Democrat Heather Boyd wins Delaware County special election in ... - The Philadelphia Inquirer