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Donna Deegan

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Donna Deegan
Official portrait, 2023
9th Mayor of Jacksonville
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 1, 2023
Preceded byLenny Curry
Personal details
Born
Donna Elizabeth Hazouri

(1961-02-28) February 28, 1961 (age 63)
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Kevin Clewis
​
​
(m. 1983, divorced)​

Dan Hicken (divorced)
Tim Deegan
​
(m. 2002)​
Children2
RelativesTommy Hazouri (cousin)
EducationFlorida State University (BS)
WebsiteGovernment website

Donna Hazouri Deegan (born February 28, 1961) is an American politician serving as the 9th mayor of Jacksonville, Florida. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected mayor in the 2023 election, defeating Republican Daniel Davis in the May 16 runoff election.[1] She is the first woman to serve as the mayor of Jacksonville.[1][2]

Deegan is also a published author, breast cancer awareness advocate, and former television anchor on First Coast News.[3] Prior to her mayoral candidacy, Deegan had mounted a campaign for Florida's 4th congressional district in the 2020 election.[4]

Early life and education

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Deegan was born Donna Elizabeth Hazouri on February 28, 1961. She has Lebanese ancestry through her father.[5] Deegan's great-great-grandfather immigrated from Lebanon circa 1905.[6] Deegan was raised on the south side of Jacksonville and graduated from Bishop Kenny High School in 1979.

She attended Florida State University and graduated in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in communications.[3] She is the cousin of former Jacksonville mayor Tommy Hazouri, who served from 1987 to 1991.[1][7]

Early career

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Deegan at a book signing in 2009

Deegan started her career in 1984 as the morning anchor for WTXL-TV in Tallahassee. In 1985, she became the West Palm Bureau Chief for WTVX in Fort Pierce. She then became the morning and noon anchor for WPEC in West Palm Beach, where she remained until August 1988. She then took the opportunity to return to her native Jacksonville and became the anchor of the weekend broadcasts on WTLV. In 1993, she became anchor of the 5:30 and 11 p.m. newscasts on WTLV.[3]

Deegan has received many awards during her career, including the Jacksonville Business Journal Women of Influence Award in 2004 and the Enterprising Women's Leadership Award in 2005.[8] On October 25, 2007, she was honored by Community Connections of Jacksonville at the Omni Hotel. She is the 2007 recipient of the Florence N. Davis Award for Lifetime Achievement.[9]

Breast cancer advocacy

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Deegan is a three-time survivor of breast cancer. She was first diagnosed in 1999, with recurrences in 2002 and 2007. She is the founder of The Donna Foundation, which provides the necessary funds to care for local women living with breast cancer.[3] Her book, The Good Fight, chronicles her second bout with breast cancer and the online journal that she kept during that time.[9]

On September 19, 2007, Deegan stated that a CT scan showed a small "suspicious" lesion in her lower left lung.[10] A PET scan confirmed the lesion was there, but nothing more was found anywhere in her body. Initially, doctors were uncertain if the lesion was indeed cancer. However, on September 21, 2007, after surgery to remove the lesion, it was confirmed that it was; she yet again underwent treatment for cancer, including chemotherapy.[11]

26.2 with Donna

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On June 22, 2006, the Mayo Clinic and The Donna Foundation announced the inaugural run of the 26.2 with Donna: The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer, benefiting Mayo Clinic and women living with breast cancer.[12] The inaugural run of the marathon took place on February 17, 2008, and was co-organized by Edith A. Perez.[13] A health expo preceded the race. She had been questioning whether she could run the whole marathon, but she and husband Tim finished in the middle. Over 7,000 runners showed up to run the race. Deegan announced that over $800,000 was raised to benefit the Mayo Clinic and women living with breast cancer. This money was used to help further a plan in which specialized treatment is used, instead of a "one size fits all" treatment.[citation needed]

2020 congressional campaign

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Deegan declared her campaign for Florida's 4th congressional district in 2019. She ran as the Democratic challenger to Republican incumbent John Rutherford in the 2020 elections. She lost to Rutherford on November 3, 2020, receiving 38.9% of the vote.[4] Her top priorities on the campaign trail were healthcare, climate change, and gun violence prevention. She slightly underperformed Joe Biden in her own district, losing by more than 22 points, compared to Biden's 21-point loss.

Mayor of Jacksonville

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2023 election

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Main article: 2023 Jacksonville mayoral election

Deegan ran for Jacksonville mayor in the 2023 election. In the nonpartisan blanket primary, she received 39% of the vote and advanced to a runoff election against Republican Daniel Davis, who received 25% in the primary.[14] On April 3, 2023, Davis ran an attack ad against Deegan, claiming that she attended all the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Jacksonville after the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Deegan called the ad racially insensitive and responded that she did not plan to launch any attack ads against Davis.[15]

Deegan defeated Davis in the runoff on May 16. She took office on July 1.[16] At the time of her mayoral victory, Jacksonville was the most populous city in the United States to have a Republican mayor, a title now held by the city of Dallas, Texas. Jacksonville, which is coterminous with Duval County, had trended towards the Democratic Party over the preceding years; in 2020, Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the county since 1976.[1]

On December 27, 2023, Deegan had two confederate statues removed from the “Tribute to the Women of the Southern Confederacy” monument in Springfield Park, formerly Confederate Park. Deegan bypassed needing City Council approval by funding the removal without city funds. Instead, she paid for the removal with a grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and anonymous donors.[17]

Personal life

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Deegan is a member of St. Paul's Catholic Church in Jacksonville Beach. Her maiden name is Hazouri and her first marriage was to Kevin Clewis in Tallahassee in 1983 (later divorced). She has two children from her second marriage to Action News Jax sports director, Dan Hicken. She later married First Coast News chief meteorologist Tim Deegan on August 9, 2002. Her second husband divorced her after finding out she was having an extra marital affair with Tim Deegan.[18]

Electoral history

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2020 Florida's 4th congressional district[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Rutherford (incumbent) 308,497 61.10
Democratic Donna Deegan 196,423 38.90
Write-in 20 0.00
Total votes 504,940 100.00
Republican hold
2023 Mayor of Jacksonville[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Blanket primary election
Democratic Donna Deegan 66,192 39.43
Republican Daniel Davis 41,505 24.72
Republican Al Ferraro 27,265 16.24
Democratic Audrey Gibson 14,440 8.60
Republican LeAnna Cumber 12,721 7.58
Republican Frank Keasler 4,011 2.39
Independent Omega Allen 1,584 0.94
Write-in 149 0.09
Total votes 167,867 100.00
Runoff election
Democratic Donna Deegan 113,157 52.08
Republican Daniel Davis 104,130 47.92
Total votes 217,287 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican

Publications

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  • Hicken, Donna (2004). The Good Fight. Closet Books. ISBN 978-1891232183.
  • Deegan, Donna (2009). Through Rose Colored Glasses: A Marathon from Fear to Love. Closet Books. ISBN 978-1891232190.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Shelton, Shania (May 16, 2023). "CNN projects Democrat Donna Deegan will become Jacksonville's first female mayor". CNN. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  2. ^ Piggott, Jim; Mazeke, Kendra (July 1, 2023). "History in the making: Donna Deegan sworn in as first woman to lead the River City". WJXT. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "First Coast News Donna Deegan Bio". First Coast News. Retrieved September 19, 2007.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ a b "November 3, 2020 General Election". Florida Department of State. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "A Look at Jacksonville's Arab American Community". The Jaxson. April 2, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  6. ^ Lancho, Tika Horigene, Brandon (March 17, 2023). "Jacksonville Mayoral Candidate Q&A: Donna Deegan". Florida Political Review. Retrieved June 6, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Tributes pour in for former Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Hazouri". Jacksonville.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  8. ^ "Donna Deegan Bio". The Donna Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
  9. ^ a b "The Celebration of Leadership: a Tribute to Excellence Honors First Coast News Anchor Donna Hicken". First Coast News. Retrieved October 26, 2007. [dead link]
  10. ^ "Donna's Journal: My Journey Continues". First Coast News. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
  11. ^ "Cancer Confirmation". First Coast News. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  12. ^ "Donna Deegan to leave First Coast News". Jacksonville.com. June 26, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  13. ^ Eric T., Rosenthal (February 25, 2010). "What Makes Edith Perez Run: How She Combines Multiple Passions to Benefit Breast Cancer Research". Oncology Times. 32 (4): 34. doi:10.1097/01.COT.0000368860.68188.b4. ISSN 0276-2234.
  14. ^ "2023 Jacksonville mayoral race headed to runoff between Daniel Davis, Donna Deegan – Action News Jax". Actionnewsjax.com. March 21, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  15. ^ Minor, Tarik (April 3, 2023). "Deegan calls new mayoral attack ad 'racially insensitive'; Davis doubles down on claim she wants to defund JSO". news4jax. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  16. ^ "Mayoral election in Jacksonville, Florida (2023)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  17. ^ Zhuang, Yan (December 28, 2023). "Confederate Monument Is Taken Down in Florida". The New York Times. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  18. ^ https://twitter.com/DonnaDeegan/status/1689272949319012354 [bare URL]
  19. ^ "Federal election results, 2020" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. October 2022. p. 107. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  20. ^ "Duval County primary election results, 2023". Duval County, Florida. March 21, 2023. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Donna Deegan.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Jacksonville
2023–present 		Incumbent
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