Tallahassee’s Open Mayoral Race Heads Toward Aug. 18 Primary

Tallahassee’s open mayoral race is entering its final stretch before the Aug. 18, 2026, primary, giving voters a choice among four candidates to succeed Mayor John Dailey.

The contest is nonpartisan, and Dailey is not seeking reelection. That makes the election a race for an open seat rather than a challenge to an incumbent. Leon County election records list the contest as Seat 4/Mayor.

The reported field includes Loranne Ausley, Jeremy Matlow, Daryl Parks and Michael Shawn Foust. The winner will lead the city through the next phase of debates over taxes, housing, growth, infrastructure, city services and economic development.

How the election will be decided

The first scheduled decision point is the Aug. 18 primary. Because the mayoral election uses a majority-based structure, winning the most votes may not be enough to end the contest in August.

If no candidate receives a majority, a two-candidate runoff is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026. If one candidate reaches the required majority in the primary, the mayoral contest can be settled on Aug. 18 instead.

As of Aug. 6, the reviewed sources do not establish either outcome. The election result is unknown, as is whether a runoff will be required.

Issues before Tallahassee voters

Public candidate discussions and forums have centered on the city decisions most likely to affect residents and property owners. The candidates have debated infrastructure, property taxes, local government services, growth, housing and economic development.

Those subjects give the open-seat race a direct connection to city government. Infrastructure and services concern how Tallahassee maintains and delivers public systems. Property taxes concern the cost of local government for property owners. Housing and growth policy can shape development and neighborhood change, while economic development relates to the city’s approach to attracting and supporting business activity.

The source packet does not provide enough verified detail to assign a specific position on each issue to every candidate. It supports describing the topics discussed publicly, but not presenting a complete side-by-side policy comparison.

No verified polling basis for a frontrunner

The reviewed material also does not include a current independent poll with a verified methodology. There is therefore no source-backed basis for identifying a frontrunner or predicting which candidates will advance.

That leaves the official candidate list, the scheduled election dates and the majority requirement as the clearest guide to what happens next. The Leon County Supervisor of Elections lists the Seat 4/Mayor contest and qualified candidates, while local reporting identifies the four-candidate field and the issues discussed in the campaign.

What the open seat means

Dailey’s decision not to seek reelection ensures that Tallahassee will have a new mayor after the election process concludes. The result will determine the city’s next elected leader, but the timing of that result depends on the August vote.

For voters, the immediate deadline is the Aug. 18 primary. A majority winner could end the contest that day. Otherwise, the final choice will move to the Nov. 3 runoff, leaving the city’s mayoral succession unresolved until that later election.

Sources

• 2026 General Election Candidate List, Leon County Supervisor of Elections
• Loranne Ausley talks Tallahassee Mayoral campaign, WFSU
• Tallahassee mayoral candidates face off at final forum before August primary, Tallahassee Informer/WTXL

Look for updates to this story

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