Tuesday’s election results showed TFG’s strong grip on the GQP, DeSantis’ irrelevance, and how the Democratic Party made some gains and even scored an upset win in Jacksonville, Florida.
But let us begin with Pennsylvania. You will need a Kleenex, Penix, to get through it all:
Although the progressive candidate of choice, Helen Gym, who was endorsed by both Bernie Sanders and AOC lost her bid to become Philadelphia’s next mayor, more than likely, the office will remain in Democratic control. Cherelle Parker, a former state representative and City Council member who campaigned on hiring more police and and bringing back what she has called constitutional stop-and-frisk, won the Democratic nomination for Philadelphia mayor on Tuesday night. Some people have compared her to NYC’s Mayor Eric Adams. Parker, 50, was the only Black candidate, in a city that is over 40 percent Black.
But wait; there’s more! The Democratic Party will retain the Pennsylvania House majority. A victory in a special election Tuesday gave Democrats 102 seats, the minimum needed to control the agenda in the 203-member House. Unfortunately, the Senate has a GOP majority.
Heather Boyd won a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing the Philadelphia suburbs, beating Republican Katie Ford for a vacancy created by the resignation of Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel. Zabel quit the Legislature in March, shortly after a lobbyist accused him of sexually harassing her.
Then There’s Kentucky:
Trump and McConnell endorsed MAGAt lunatic, Daniel Cameron, the state’s attorney general as Kentucky’s next governor, while DeSantis gave a last minute endorsement to his challenger, Kelly Craft, a former United Nations ambassador under Mr. Trump and a member of a Republican megadonor family. Craft finished the race in a distant third, earning just 17 percent of the vote to Mr. Cameron’s 47 percent.
“Let me just say,” Mr. Cameron said in his victory speech, “the Trump culture of winning is alive and well in Kentucky!”
Cameron will face Gov. Andy Beshear in November.
Meanwhile, in Jacksonville, Florida:
Republicans have held the mayor’s office most of the last 30 years; however, last night it all came to an end. Democratic candidate Donna Deegan defeated Republican Daniel Davis to succeed Mayor Lenny Curry (R). DeSantis had also backed Davis in the race and he lost. DeSantis went 0-2 proving he’s not such a ‘bigly’ deal in the GQP and TFG is their real KKKult leader.
Deegan’s win was a shocking upset that hands Florida Democrats a major shot of energy less than six months after they were trounced in the 2022 midterms and considered left for dead by the national party. Jacksonville was the largest city in the country with a GOP mayor.
Deegan is a former TV anchor in the city with significant name recognition. After she left TV, she went on to found a nonprofit group that focuses on breast cancer research. She will be the city’s first female mayor.
The win in Jacksonville, which was the most populous city in the country with a Republican mayor, is a huge morale boost for Florida Democrats, who have faced a series of stinging losses in recent years. Most recently, they were hammered up and down the ballot in a midterm election cycle in 2022, when DeSantis won re-election by nearly 20 percentage points. He also captured Duval County, which is composed mostly of the city of Jacksonville, by 12 percentage points.
Meanwhile, in Colorado Springs, Colorado:
Independent Yemi Mobolade, a Nigerian immigrant and businessman with no political experience, will be the first elected Black mayor of Colorado Springs after he defeated Wayne Williams on Tuesday night in the city’s runoff contest. Mobolade had received 57% of the vote to Williams’ 43% as of 7:15 p.m. Tuesday.
Mobolade will succeed Mayor John Suthers, a former federal prosecutor and Colorado attorney general who was term-limited, to become the city’s 42nd mayor.
Mobolade’s decisive victory represents a political earthquake in Colorado Springs, long known as a conservative stronghold. Williams is a Republican while Mobolade is unaffiliated.
TFG won El Paso County, which includes Colorado Springs, by 11 points in 2020.
