Jacksonville City Council member Rory Diamond told Breitbart News that Republican Nick Howland’s Tuesday victory in a blue Jacksonville city district is the final “nail in the Florida Democrats’ coffin.”
“Signaling a red wave for all of America and the last nail in the Florida Democrats’ coffin, the Republican won on a clear anti-defund the police message and flipped the seat from the Democrats,” Diamond told Breitbart News about the momentous victory that places Republicans with a 14-5 margin over Democrats on the council.
Diamond, who is also the CEO of K9s For Warriors and a former federal prosecutor, told Breitbart News the surrounding area of Jacksonville has been a Democrat stronghold for years. Howland’s victory Tuesday night is proof Florida continues to turn red.
“As the rest of Florida turns solidly red from swing state purple with the election of Ron DeSantis, a Republican-controlled legislature, and Donald Trump’s 4 point trouncing of Biden in 2020, Duval County has been the lonely Florida outlier,” Diamond said. “Duval County and the City of Jacksonville voted for Democrat Andrew Gillum in 2018 and for Joe Biden for president after years of solid Republican voting.”
Diamond noted the tremendous effort Democrats placed on defending one of the last blue areas of Florida.
“National Democrats poured millions into Jacksonville, hoping to regain their footing in the Sunshine State,” he said. “National Democrats pulled out all the stops bringing in every statewide Democratic name and all their candidates to campaign on the ground and invested heavily in Duval County.”
“Those hopes were dashed last night,” Diamond added.
Breitbart News reported Tuesday that Howland defeated Democrat Trayce Polson by 68,599 to 64,113 votes, or 51.69 to 48.31 percent:
The seat was left vacant in September 2021 due to the death of Tommy Hazouri. Though a special election was held in December of that year, none of the four candidates in the race was able to garner 50 percent of the vote required for victory. Howland’s victory over Polson on Tuesday night comes after he lost to her by a narrow margin of 600 votes.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) told Breitbart News the victory speaks to greater victories for the GOP coming in November. “Good to see Florida Democrats aren’t waiting until November to start losing,” RNC Spokeswoman Julia Friedland said.
“Polson’s loss in a county that went blue for Joe Biden in 2020 is a resounding rejection of Joe Biden’s failed agenda and the politicians who stand idly by it,” she added.
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