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'It's bonkers': Jacksonville's mayoral candidates have already raised $5 million.

Mayor Lenny Curry cannot run again because of term limits.
Republican Party of Florida
Mayor Lenny Curry cannot run again because of term limits.

The election of the next Jacksonville mayor is 17 months away — the proverbial "eternity" in politics — but supporters of declared and potential candidates have already pumped $5 million into a race that's will blitz voters with advertisements, mailers, phone calls and every other tool available in a wide-open contest.

"It's bonkers," said Michael Binder, director of the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida. "It's crazy."

The feverish fund-raising heated up even more in September when City Council member LeAnna Cumber's exploration of a run collected $962,000 in the first month for her Jax First political committee.

Read the rest of the story at WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union.