Brower, Dye Advance to Runoff in Volusia Council Chair Race

The race for Volusia County Council Chair just went from four candidates to two. The primary election was held on Tuesday, in which four candidates faced off for the seat. Incumbent Jeff Brower entered the day defending against three challengers: Don Burnette, Deb Denys, and Randy Dye. When the votes were counted after the polls closed Tuesday, only two candidates remained: Brower and Dye. The two men will appear on the November general election ballot to decide who wins the seat for the next four years. The race will be important in determining the style of leadership of the County Council, and the local philosophies of one crucial seat. Brower, the incumbent, was first elected in 2020. He took over for the outgoing Ed Kelley, defeating Denys in that election as well. Though Brower and Denys had their rematch four years later, she would ultimately not prove to be Brower’s greatest threat. Randy Dye, local entrepreneur and auto dealer, came in second in the primary, sufficient to get him onto the November ballot. Dye has largely been seen as the most potent challenger to Brower due to his pre-built name recognition and support from large industries with stakes in Volusia County. Also helping Dye is his connections to NASCAR; the candidate used racing-inspired campaign imagery and even appeared alongside racing legends during his campaign. Also running for County Chair was Don Burnette, the sitting Mayor of Port Orange. First elected mayor in 2016, Burnette will find himself out of elected office for the first time since 2010. He was prevented from running for another term as mayor by the city’s term limits. Brunette ultimately finished fourth out of four on Tuesday. The results were as follows, per the Volusia County Elections Office. Jeff Brower – 42.10% – 35,559 Randy Dye – 27.72% – 23,409 Deb Denys – 17.38% – 14,678 Don Burnette – 12.80% – 10,814