Nonprofit founder Donna Deegan, a Democrat, and Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce president Daniel Davis, a Republican, took the top two spots in the primary election.

Candidates eliminated in the initial primary included city councilors Al Ferraro and LeAnna Cumber, both Republicans, and former state senate minority leader Audrey Gibson, a Democrat.

[5] Deegan's win resulted in Jacksonville losing its status as the most populous city in the United States with a Republican mayor; that instead became Dallas, Texas.

[6][7] Jacksonville became the most populous city in the United States with a Republican mayor when Democrats flipped the mayorship of San Diego, California in 2020.

Republicans had held the mayorship of Jacksonville continuously since 1993 with the exception of one four-year period when Democrat Alvin Brown served as mayor following his upset victory in the 2011 election.

[10] Cumber heavily criticized Curry's effort to raise the Jacksonville gas tax, while Davis avoided taking positions on specific city issues and instead made broad appeals for unity.

[12][13][14][15] Both candidates also ran ads accusing each other of supporting the privatization of JEA, the city's publicly owned electric utility, though they each denied that they would sell it if elected mayor.

[17] In comparison, the two Democrats largely avoided criticizing each other and both ran on their own strengths, with Donna Deegan running a positive TV ad focused on her life story.