Republican Daniel Davis has launched a new commercial ahead of the May 16 general election for mayor of Jacksonville, explicitly attacking his Democratic foe, Donna Deegan, for attending Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020.
The ad shows footage of reporters talking about the violence that took place after the protests, which police said were not linked to the BLM march, intercut with three uses of a clip where Deegan says, “I went to every one of those Black Lives Matter protests.” The spot concludes with video of the Democrat calling for a “civilian review board that helps to hold our police officers accountable” before it flashes to another clip of a police car being attacked.
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Deegan responded by pointing out that two of Davis’ top supporters, termed-out Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff T.K. Waters, attended a BLM march that same year, something Davis unsurprisingly did not mention in his ad. She also affirmed her support for the police and said of Davis’ messaging, “Frankly, it seems racially insensitive to me the way that was handled, and I just don’t know how that makes us a stronger community to try and divide on those things.” Deegan has aired only positive commercials throughout her campaign, and she says she plans to continue that strategy.
Deegan outpaced Davis 39-25 in last month’s contest to lead Florida’s largest city, with the GOP candidates collectively leading Deegan and another Democrat, state Sen. Audrey Gibson, 51-48. (The balance went to an independent.) So far, none of the defeated candidates have endorsed anyone for the second round, and Gibson said last month that she wouldn’t be supporting Deegan.
Progressives scored a monumental victory in Wisconsin Tuesday night when Janet Protasiewicz flipped a pivotal seat on the state Supreme Court, and we've got plenty to say about it on this week's episode of The Downballot. Not only are the electoral implications deeply worrisome for Republicans, the court's new liberal majority has the chance to revive democracy in the Badger State by restoring abortion rights and striking down gerrymandered GOP maps. It truly is a new day—and one we've long awaited—in Wisconsin.
We're also delving into the fascinating politics of Alaska with our guest this week, former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. Jonathan recounts his unlikely journey to the state House after winning a huge upset while still in college before explaining how Democrats, independents, and even a few Republicans forged a remarkable cross-partisan governing coalition. We also get an on-the-ground view of what Mary Peltola's stunning special election victory last year looked like to Alaska Democrats.