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Gainesville District 1 Voters Comment On Election Day

On the surface, Tuesday’s election was quiet; but the outspoken volunteers behind the District 1 Gainesville city commission race made their voices heard.

Beverly King spent the day campaigning for incumbent Commissioner Gigi Simmons at Springhill Missionary Baptist Church.

“Gigi is a person of her word, she has really helped out in our community, the Porters community," King said.

Right across the street, Jason Davis campaigned for Simmons’ opponent, Desmon Duncan-Walker.

“I care about our community, what is going on with it. I'm supporting my cousin Desmon Duncan-Walker because she cares about our community," he said.

At Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Simmons' mother was out campaigning.

The polls closed at 7 p.m. Before the result, Simmons and Duncan-Walker both said they felt good about their campaigns. Simmons said she felt confident she would win a second term, despite the fact that an incumbent had not won the District 1 seat since 2009. Unofficial results showed her coming up short to Duncan-Walker, according to results posted shortly after 8 p.m. Johnson won reelection over her challenger, Gabriel Hillel.

Duncan-Walker said she was grateful for the process of running and thanked everyone who voted in the election.

Anthony is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397.