Jacksonville Mayoral Race Too Close to Call

African-American Alvin Brown has a razor thin lead in the Jacksonville mayoral race. There may be a recount after provisional and absentee ballots are counted.

It could be another week before the outcome of the mayoral race in Jacksonville, Florida, is known. But so far African-American contender Alvin Brown has the slightest lead over opponent Mike Hogan.

 

The difference between votes garnered by the two candidates was a razor thin .32 percent. Brown won 95,580 votes and Hogan won 94,977, First Coast News reports. According to the Florida Times Union, if the margin is smaller than one-quarter of one percent after approximately 1600 absentee and provisional ballots have been counted, the city will have to conduct a recount, which could take several days.

 

Brown, an executive-in-residence at the Jacksonville University Davis School of Business, received endorsements from several key political and business figures, including BET founder Robert Johnson and former President Bill Clinton, who said that Brown would be the kind of mayor who could bring jobs to the city “no matter how tough things are.” He also won the backing of several prominent local Republicans and led his opponent in fundraising during the most recent reporting period.

 

If Brown does win the election, he will be the first African-American to lead the city and its first Democratic mayor in 10 years.

 

(Photo: www.alvinformayor.com)