2026 Tallahassee mayoral election

2026 Tallahassee mayoral election
← 2022
August 18, 2026 (first round)
November 3, 2026 (runoff)
2030 →
Turnout22.64% (first round)
 
Candidate Jeremy Matlow Loranne Ausley Daryl Parks
First round 14,908
36.02%		 13,971
33.76%		 10,466
25.29%
Runoff TBD TBD Eliminated
Mayor before election

John E. Dailey
Democratic

 Elected mayor

TBD

The 2026 Tallahassee mayoral election took place on August 18, 2026, to elect the mayor of Tallahassee, Florida. As no candidate received a majority of the vote, a runoff election will take place November 3. Incumbent mayor John E. Dailey, who was first elected in 2018, has announced he will not seek re-election.

First round

Candidates

Declared

Disqualified

  • Camron Cooper, state employee

Declined

Endorsements

Loranne Ausley
Labor unions
Jeremy Matlow
Labor unions

Forums

A candidate forum was held by the Tallahassee African American Local Election Review Team on March 6, 2026. Foust, Matlow and Parks attended, with Ausley unable to do so due to other commitments.

Another candidate forum was held on June 23, 2026. The forum was livestreamed on WFSU and was held by the Tallahassee Democrat, the Capital Region News Collaborative, and the League of Women Voters. All candidates attended.

Polling

Poll Source Date(s) Administered Sample Size Margin of Error Loranne Ausley Michael Foust Jeremy Matlow Daryl Parks Undecided
St. Pete Polls July 19–20, 2026 345 (LV) ± 5.3% 29% 3% 24% 14% 31%

Results

2026 Tallahassee mayoral election (first round)
Candidate Votes %
Jeremy Matlow 14,908 36.02
Loranne Ausley 13,971 33.76
Daryl D. Parks 10,466 25.29
Michael Shawn Foust 2,039 4.93
Turnout 41,384 22.64%
Registered electors 182,806

Notes

  1. ↑ Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
Partisan clients
  1. ↑ Poll sponsored by Florida Politics

References

  1. ↑ "Dates and Deadlines". Leon County Supervisor of Elections. 2025. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  2. ↑ Call, James (22 September 2025). "It's official: Loranne Ausley enters 2026 Tallahassee mayoral race". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  3. ↑ Barrera, Elena (February 14, 2026). "Michael Foust, political novice, joins race for Tallahassee mayor". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  4. ↑ Bulecza, Jade (August 11, 2025). "UPDATE: Tallahassee mayor won't seek re-election, Commissioner announces candidacy". WCTV. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  5. ↑ Hatter, Lynn (18 September 2025). "Local attorney Daryl Parks has joined the race for Tallahassee mayor". WFSU-TV.
  6. ↑ Otero, Arianna (September 4, 2025). "After Tallahassee commission vote, Camron 'Justice' Cooper blocked from mayor's race". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  7. ↑ Burlew, Jeff (18 September 2025). "Tallahassee mayor race: Leon County Commissioner Christian Caban rules out 2026 campaign". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 6 November 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ↑ Hoffmann, Matt; Maynard, Chasity (August 11, 2025). "'Not a forever job': Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey announces he will not seek re-election". WTXL-TV. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  9. ↑ Call, James (August 26, 2025). "'Definitely considering it': Ausley, Graham, Lawson buzz swirls in 2026 Tallahassee mayor race". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  10. ↑ Otero, Arianna (10 October 2025). "Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor files for reelection". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  11. ↑ Burlew, Jeff. "PBA endorses Ausley for mayor; Edwards, Williams-Cox for city commission". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "Big Bend Labor Council Endorses Jeremy Matlow for Mayor". Tallahassee Reports. 1 May 2026. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Tallahassee mayoral candidates gather for public forum". WCTV. March 9, 2026. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Watch Tallahassee mayor candidates debate in our livestream". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Mendoza, Jesse (July 21, 2026). "Poll points to Loranne Ausley, Jeremy Matlow runoff in Tallahassee Mayor race". Florida Politics. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  16. ↑ "2026 Primary Election". Leon County Supervisor of Elections. Retrieved August 19, 2026.

Official campaign websites