Republicans see repeat of 2022 losses ahead of hopeful cycle

Republicans struggled to move past 2022 on Tuesday when two candidates faltered in key races.

Following an underwhelming midterm cycle that opened a conversation about how the party would perform in 2024. With two high-profile losses on Tuesday, including a resurgent Democratic Party in a Florida race, the GOP is in a precarious position ahead of what has been shaping up to be a successful cycle with friendly maps.

KAMALA HARRIS TAKES HER PLACE AT THE DEBT LIMIT NEGOTIATING TABLE

Daniel Davis vs. Donna Deegan 

Democrats took home a major win in Florida when they took control of a sizable red city, beating out a candidate backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). In Jacksonville, Donna Deegan (D) became the first woman mayor by defeating Republican Daniel Davis.

Davis was endorsed by DeSantis in March. The governor threw his weight behind Davis late in the race, announcing on Twitter, “I am proud to endorse Daniel Davis for Jacksonville mayor because I trust him to fight for Jacksonville’s hardworking families, and I know he will stand with the city’s brave men and women in law enforcement.”

Days after DeSantis said the Republican Party was facing a “culture of losing” at his Iowa rally, the party can add Davis to a list of recent GOP shortcomings. Despite the governor’s backing, Davis struggled to unify conservatives around his campaign.

Conservative members flocked to Deegan over Davis on the campaign trail, racking up a list of endorsements from people in both parties, including Councilman Randy DeFoor, former mayoral candidate Anna Brosche, former Council President Scott Wilson, and Jacksonville City Councilman Matt Carlucci.

Deegan’s victory, toppling the most populous city in the country with a Republican mayor, makes her the second Democrat to hold mayoral office in 30 years.

“I’m a fifth-generation Jacksonville native. I was an evening news anchor here for 25 years. And then after I was diagnosed with breast cancer three times, I started a foundation for underserved women with breast cancer which has a race that brings in people from all over the country to our city every year, so people know me,” Deegan said on MSNBC Wednesday morning. “We’ve lived a shared life in Jacksonville.”

Unofficial results revealed Deegan had won around 52% of the vote, compared to Davis’s 48%, with turnout being about 33%.

Katie Ford vs. Heather Boyd  

In a critical win in Pennsylvania’s 163rd state House district, Democrat Heather Boyd won a seat over Republican Katie Ford, ensuring Democrats maintain control over the chamber. Boyd held around 60% of the vote, while Ford took 38%.

The victory weakens House Republicans further after Democrats narrowly won a majority of seats for the first time in 12 years in November. Democrats now hold 102 seats, the minimum needed to control the agenda, while the state Senate still has a Republican majority.

Boyd will succeed Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel, who was ousted from his seat when he was accused by a labor lobbyist of sexual harassment.

Republicans hoped to flip the seat with Ford, a military veteran, volunteer, and behavioral therapist.

Ford, unlike Boyd, was not a career politician, but she hoped this would give her an advantage in the race as Republicans have recently supported candidates who show they have something in common with voters.

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“I’m not a politician and never have been,” Ford said. “What I am is a regular citizen tired of the politicians failing us and ready to step up and make a difference on crime, on inflation, on schools and education, and on helping real people.”

Boyd received an endorsement from President Joe Biden, who said Tuesday’s election will “determine the future of so many fundamental freedoms that Pennsylvanians hold dear” and said she was “an experienced public servant who will protect a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions, stand up for common sense gun safety laws and expand access to voting rights.”

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