1995 Jacksonville mayoral election

1995 Jacksonville mayoral election
	April 11, 1995; May 9, 1995
Mayor before election; Ed Austin; Republican	Elected mayor ; John Delaney; Republican

The 1995 Jacksonville mayoral election took place on May 9, 1995, following a primary election on April 11, 1995. The election was the first one to take place following the passage of a referendum in 1992 that provided for unitary elections, in which all candidates appeared on the same ballot regardless of party.^[1]

Incumbent Mayor Ed Austin, who was elected in 1991 as a Democrat, but switched to the Republican Party in 1994,^[2] declined to seek re-election. Austin's chief of staff, Republican John Delaney, ran to succeed him. Former Mayors Jake Godbold and Tommy Hazouri and City Councilman Harry Reagan ran as Democratic candidates. Godbold placed first in the primary with 33 percent of the vote, followed by Delaney with 32 percent. In the general election, Delaney narrowly defeated Godbold, 51–49 percent, becoming the first Republican to be elected Mayor since 1887.^[3]

Primary election

Candidates

Jake Godbold, former Mayor of Jacksonville^[4] (Democratic)
John Delaney, former chief of staff to Mayor Ed Austin^[4] (Republican)
Tommy Hazouri, former Mayor of Jacksonville^[4] (Democratic)
Harry Reagan, City Councilman^[4] (Democratic)
Steve Irvine, restaurant owner^[4] (Republican)
A. P. McIlwain, retired shipyard executive^[4] (Republican)

Results

1995 Jacksonville mayoral primary election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jake Godbold	55,902	32.74%
	Republican	John Delaney	55,361	32.42%
	Democratic	Tommy Hazouri	38,289	22.42%
	Democratic	Harry Reagan	18,235	10.68%
	Republican	Steve Irvine	1,847	1.08%
	Democratic	A. P. McIlwain	1,132	0.66%
Total votes			170,766	100.00%

General election

Results

1995 Jacksonville mayoral general election^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Delaney	81,058	50.95%
	Democratic	Jake Godbold	78,047	49.05%
Total votes			159,105	100.00%
	Republican hold

References

^ Barry, Francis S. (2009). The Scandal of Reform: The Grand Failures of New York's Political Crusaders and the Death of Nonpartisanship. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. pp. 180–81. ISBN 978-0-8135-4478-6. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
^ "Jacksonville mayor switches parties". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. October 21, 1994. p. 4B. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
^ Woods, Mark (May 15, 2011). "No empty vote: How your choices for mayor affected Jacksonville". Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville, Florida. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Poll shows tight race for Jax mayor". Boca Raton News. Boca Raton, Florida. April 8, 1995. p. 9A. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
^ "General Election - Duval, Florida - April 11, 1995" (PDF). Duval County Supervisor of Elections. 1995. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
^ "General Election - Duval, Florida - May 9, 1995" (PDF). Duval County Supervisor of Elections. 1995. Retrieved July 6, 2025.

[1] Barry, Francis S. (2009). The Scandal of Reform: The Grand Failures of New York's Political Crusaders and the Death of Nonpartisanship. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. pp. 180–81. ISBN 978-0-8135-4478-6. Retrieved July 6, 2025.

[2] "Jacksonville mayor switches parties". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. October 21, 1994. p. 4B. Retrieved July 6, 2025.

[3] Woods, Mark (May 15, 2011). "No empty vote: How your choices for mayor affected Jacksonville". Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville, Florida. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2025.

[tight_race-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Poll shows tight race for Jax mayor". Boca Raton News. Boca Raton, Florida. April 8, 1995. p. 9A. Retrieved July 6, 2025.

[5] "General Election - Duval, Florida - April 11, 1995" (PDF). Duval County Supervisor of Elections. 1995. Retrieved July 6, 2025.

[6] "General Election - Duval, Florida - May 9, 1995" (PDF). Duval County Supervisor of Elections. 1995. Retrieved July 6, 2025.

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