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On Sept. 24, David Jolly, the Democratic candidate for governor in Florida, sat down with residents for a candid town hall meeting at The Skills Center in East Tampa.
“Change is coming,” he captioned the event and posted a series of images on his Instagram page.
Over 500 people attended the sold-out town hall, moderated by journalist and legal analyst Katie Phang and Sen. Fentrice Driskell. Each shared their perspectives on the future of the Democratic party, challenges going into the election season and the overall political landscape of the United States.
Those in attendance said they left the town hall energized and motivated. Driskell says she is very hopeful for the Democratic party.
“If you saw the energy of this room and you saw the diversity of this room, you will know that this is truly reflective of Florida,” said Driskell.
Kimberly G. Jackson, policy adviser for David Jolly, moderated the rally. It was organized by the Democratic Women’s Club of SE Hillsborough County.
“We truly had an honest conversation focused on providing real answers to real problems,” said Jackson. “The room felt alive, purposeful, and I believe we all felt committed to moving forward together.”
Voter James Cole says he is optimistic about Florida’s political future.
“ … This is the best I’ve felt in a long time going into election season in the state of Florida, the general election,” said Cole. “I believe Florida is looking to get it right after eight years of the same policy, eight years of legislature focusing on contracts, focusing on big business. It’s time for us to focus on the people.”
East Tampa resident Fran Tate is running for a seat in Tampa City Council District 5 and expressed her excitement to support Jolly.
“We are so excited to have a Democrat governor and he is coming,” said Tate. “We’re going to make sure that happens.”
The latest poll numbers from St. Pete Polls shows Jolly with 43.4% of Florida’s vote versus his Republican opponent, Byron Donalds, who has 43.5%.
Both candidates were scheduled to meet for a televised gubernatorial debate at Florida A&M University on Sept. 29; but that debate has been cancelled. In a statement, Jolly declined all general election debates with Donalds, stating the engagements would only “create constructive, honest conversation and only further stoke division, animosity, and bad will.”
Instead both candidates will do separate engagements. Donalds, who is a FAMU graduate, is reportedly meeting with FAMU students on Sept. 29, while Jolly is meeting students on Oct. 12, according to a FAMU Student Government Association memorandum posted on the university’s Instagram.
Meanwhile, Donalds, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, recently removed all references of the president from his campaign website. Donalds is among several Republicans who have started to distance themselves from the president, including Miami Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar, who released an ad that accused the president’s immigration crackdown of going too far.
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