Gainesville voters decided Tuesday that candidates Jack Donovan and Thomas Hawkins Jr. would hold seats on the City Commission for the next three years.
One commission seat, however, remains in question until voters choose between candidates Bonnie Mott and Lauren Poe in a February runoff.
By about 9:30 p.m., all 75 precincts citywide had reported that about 45 percent of the city's 129,434 registered voters turned up to the polls, according to the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results.
The election showed a big increase in turnout compared to March's commission election, in which only 11 percent voted.
About 65 percent of the city's voters chose Hawkins, 27, a land-use lawyer, to represent them for the commission's District 2 At-Large seat. That seat is currently filled by Rick Bryant.
Robert Agrusa, 22, Hawkins' opponent and a former UF Student Senate president, earned about 33 percent of the votes.
Agrusa said he was shocked that he lost by such a large margin.
"I really am surprised that so many students still don't get involved," he said. "It's a travesty."
Agrusa further expressed his frustration when he spoke quietly with Bryant as the votes tallied.
"I did terrible," Agrusa said. "Terrible."
Agrusa said he hopes to push for more student involvement in the future. Until then, he said, he'll be going to graduate school.
"Regardless of what happens," he said, "this is still a life-changing moment for me."
Hawkins and his supporters, who seemed energized by the win, watched the poll results update online from the John R. "Jack" Durrance Auditorium at the downtown County Commission building.
"The whole campaign has been a really cooperative effort," Hawkins said. "Now I get to work on the exciting part I signed up for."
In the race for District 3, commission incumbent Donovan won with about 70 percent of the vote. His opponents, Armando Grundy and Christopher Salazar, earned about 16 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
Donovan, 63, appeared pleased as cameras swarmed and photographers buzzed around him. This will be Donovan's second term on the commission.
Grundy, who watched Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter certify the absentee and early votes in a canvassing board meeting downtown late Tuesday night, said he was pleased with his efforts despite the loss.
"Our campaign is pleased that we were able to broaden the spectrum of this election," he said.
Grundy, 28, a former SFCC student and Army veteran, added that he was unsure if he would run for office again.
"I don't know what the future holds," he said. "I'm just getting over this election now."
Salazar, 20, a former SFCC student who spent the evening at a friend's house, said he wished Donovan well in the coming term.
"I think the people have spoken," he said. "I concede."
Salazar also said he was unsure whether he would try again for a commission seat in the next election.
Votes from those in District 2 were not as clear-cut as the other races.
Though candidate Bonnie Mott led the race with about 42 percent of the votes, she did not garner enough ballots to certify her seat. Candidates must earn more than 50 percent of the total votes to win.
Poe, who earned second place in the election with about 35 percent of the vote, will face off against Mott in a runoff election in February.
Bryan Harman, the third candidate for District 2, won about 23 percent of the vote.
Mott, 58, the owner of a local real estate company, said she was "excited and a little surprised" about the outcome of the election.
She and about 30 of her supporters ate at Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille as the results poured in.
As she waited to eat a plate of buttered bread and popcorn chicken, she talked about her excitement over the campaign.
"It was hard when we got here to calm down," she said.
Poe, 37, an SFCC professor, said he was relieved when the votes finally came in. He complimented his opponents' campaigns.
"There were no negative jabs, no mudslinging," he said.
His mother, Cheryl Poe, 64, cheered her son on as he watched the votes update on the auditorium wall from a projector.
"I'm very proud of him, as any mother would be," she said. "He's very honest and dedicated to making the community a better place to live."
Harman, a 33-year-old who worked in real estate and marketing before taking a break to campaign, did not respond to messages by press time.
The atmosphere of the auditorium as the votes came in online was tense.
Firm handshakes, warm hugs and tired smiles were passed around like currency.
Photographers and video cameras stood poised in the corner, waiting to capture moments that oozed relieved triumph or heart-tugging defeat.
Several of the candidates, adorned in business suits and campaign stickers, toted signs and spoke with reporters as they awaited the results.
After the majority of the votes had been finalized, most of the candidates set off for their election after-parties.
Agrusa and a group of supporters walked to the Fat Tuesday bar after learning of his loss. Upon arrival, the candidate hugged his mother, Irene.
Hawkins, Poe and Donovan, accompanied by supporters, walked a few blocks to The Top restaurant on Main Street.
Upon arrival, many mingled, clinked drinks and cheered on their successes.
Not everyone was as cheerful as the candidates, though.
As Donovan and a small table of friends celebrated at one of the restaurant's outdoor tables, a scuffle broke out between two men. Several onlookers, including Donovan, helped break up the fight before the candidate called police and moved on, like nothing happened, to speak with a TV news crew.
Inside the packed restaurant, Poe sipped Guinness and Hawkins wolfed down French fries and a hamburger.
Donovan, a former minister, passed on the beer and drank from a Coke.
