Commissioner Jeremy Matlow Files for Mayor

On Monday, City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow filed paperwork with the Leon County Supervisor of Elections to run for the Tallahassee mayor position in 2026.

Matlow currently occupies a seat on the city commission which is up for election in 2026.

Matlow’s filing comes after word leaked out last week that Mayor John Dailey would not seek re-election.

Matlow released a statement addressed to “Friends and neighbors”, provided below. The tone and content of the announcement is much different than Matlow’s approach to governing over the last 3-4 years.

For example, in his campaign announcement he states, “I am uniquely qualified to bring our community together under a common vision and to seek collaboration with all that are willing to make Tallahassee a better place.”

However, Matlow has spent much of his time as a city commissioner dividing the community by financing and supporting campaigns with controversial messages against his colleagues in an effort to gain control of the city commission.

He has referred to the 40-year-old Blueprint Agency as a “sham” and filed a lawsuit against the Blueprint Agency’s Intergovernmental Management Committee (IMC) — consisting of City Manager Reese Goad and County Administrator Vince Long. A judge dismissed the lawsuit this year.

Despite these inconsistencies, without a challenger that can pull together the conservative and moderate Democrat vote, Matlow will have the money and the support of passionate progressive followers to run a strong campaign.

Jeremy Matlow Campaign Announcement