Daily e-Edition
Evening e-Edition
Sign up for email newsletters
Sign up for email newsletters
Daily e-Edition
Evening e-Edition
Trending:
Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly passionately spoke Thursday evening to supporters at the Ironworkers Union south of Orlando, calling on Democrats, independents and dissatisfied Republicans alike to vote and make history.
“Next Tuesday … when the people across the state of Florida decide to do something that defies history and defies gravity and elect a Democratic governor in the state of Florida,” he said, “it becomes a story so much bigger than a Florida governor’s race — it redefines American politics.”
Jolly, who is running against Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, lambasted Florida’s longtime GOP leadership, alleging they focused on culture war issues instead of things that actually matter and allowing a perfect storm of crises to brew: the state’s property insurance market, educational system and healthcare.
He also emphasized Donalds’ close ties to President Donald Trump, who he said is more concerned with enriching himself then improving the economy for the average American.
“Byron Donalds has said this is the greatest president we’ve ever had,” he said. “As long as the president can build his ballroom and his crypto companies and engage in outright corruption, as long as the Mar-A-Lago crowd and the Byron Donalds crowd are getting theirs, they don’t care about the rest of the state.”
Jolly instead called for responsible social investments in housing, healthcare, education, clean air, clean water, and safe communities, including by expanding Medicaid. He also promised to protect people’s voting rights, reproductive rights and other civil liberties.
He said a new political coalition is forming made up of Democrats, independents and Republicans based on shared American political values.
“It’s going to be based on our patriotism to a nation that has promised liberty to the most number of people,” he said. “This is that moment, folks. This is the moment when history is watching.”
He was introduced by his running mate, former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, and a who’s who of Central Florida Democrats, including state Rep. Anna Eskamani, state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, and U.S. Reps. Maxwell Frost and Darren Soto.
Jolly told reporters after the event that early voter turnout is better than he expected.
“It’s remarkable … to be in a R + 1.8 right now,” he said of the current GOP advantage. “If you put us in an R + 9 environment, we’re going to win the race. Our job in the next five days is to reach every single voter available to us and get them to the polls and turn them out.”
He talked about the importance of Orange and Osceola counties on his pathway to victory, believing that Osceola, which narrowly went for Trump in 2024, has disaffected Republicans who will vote for him.
Danny Kampf, a 32-year-old Orlando resident who attended the event, said Jolly is a better candidate than former Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican-turned-Democrat who was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Florida governor in 2022, and whom some have compared to Jolly.
He is optimistic about Jolly’s chances, given that his Republican past can attract GOP voters.
“I think there’s a shot there…at the end of the day it’s all going to come down to turnout,” he said. “The question is how many people are actually paying attention…we have to see how many people are getting the message.”
Kampf also said younger voters are likely more excited about state Rep. Angie Nixon, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Florida, due to her progressive stances, but that her support among young people can help Jolly at the ballot box.
Jolly told reporters at the event he is happy with his numbers among young voters, adding that Nixon has benefitted his campaign by mobilizing them.
Nixon has held several events herself in Central Florida over the last few days, including a rally in Kissimmee on Tuesday with U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and marching with students to the polls at the University of Central Florida on Wednesday.
Donalds, who was set to appear at a Trump rally in Daytona Beach Friday night, was barnstorming the state himself in his Defending the Florida Dream bus tour, which is making stops in Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Martin, Sumter, and Clay Counties. He will hold an event in The Villages on Saturday.
Election Day is Tuesday. Early voting continues through Sunday in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties and until Saturday in Lake County.
Copyright 2026 Orlando Sentinel. All rights reserved. The use of any content on this website for the purpose of training artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, machine learning models, text and data mining, or similar use is strictly prohibited without explicit written consent.
