Florida gubernatorial candidate Democrat David Jolly began his town hall meeting Monday, June 30, with a demographic reality.
“There are not enough Democratic voters in the state of Florida to elect a Democratic governor just by ourselves,” he said. “That’s math. We can’t wish that away. But the other thing we cannot do is dilute away from our Democratic values.”
His solution: to build a coalition of like-minded voters that would be bigger than his party. Toward that end, he emphasized three “core values” that he believed would attract that broader support: the economy, government better serving the people and a more welcoming environment in the state.
One of his pre-eminent topics was what he called the “affordability crisis.”
“The economy should work for everybody,” said the former congressman and MSNBC political analyst. “I believe under this governor, Florida is increasingly becoming a home for the rich and the reckless, and it should be a home for everybody.”
One aspect he addressed was the high cost of homeowners’ insurance. He proposed, as a solution, the creation of a state catastrophic fund, which he said would reduce property insurance by 50% to 60% in some markets.
Another major topic was public education. He was especially critical of the status of charter schools that are not held to the same standards as public schools.
“Over the past 20 to 30 years, Republican leaders in Tallahassee have abandoned public education,” Jolly said. “What was once a school choice program for just families in need has become a giveaway to for-profit charter schools and to voucher schools that do not have to perform the same way our public schools do.”
One proposal that drew a strong show of support from the 400 or so attendees was to increase teacher pay. Florida’s public teacher pay is 49th out of 50 states, but falls to 50th when adjusted for cost of living. Jolly called this a “moral wrong.”
He said he wants to increase public teacher pay by 30% over a three-year period.
“We have to start every day saying we are going to invest more in public education,” he said.
Regarding the third “core value,” Jolly said, “Everyone in Florida should be welcome and lifted up again.”
He promised that “culture wars end on Day One.”
“No more dividing the state around who you love, who you worship or the color of your skin,” he said.
One issue that may prove more difficult to situate in his proposed coalition is abortion, which tends to polarize voters.
Monday, the former Republican congressman voiced support for codifying Florida’s Amendment 4 of 2024, which fell short of the 60% supermajority required by law for passage. That amendment would have inserted language in the state constitution prohibiting state regulation of abortion.
Jolly announced his candidacy June 5.
The town hall meeting was sponsored by the Ponte Vedra Democratic Club. It was held at the Hope Pavilion on the grounds of St. Francis-in-the-Field Episcopal Church.
