WLRN: David Jolly Brings Campaign for Florida Governor to Indivisible Boca Raton Town Hall

WLRN Public Media | By Wilkine Brutus

Published September 9, 2025 at 11:24 AM EDT

Update: Watch The Video Of This Event

https://youtu.be/IH5MI9gO7fE

Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Congressman David Jolly brought his campaign for Florida governor to Palm Beach County on September 8, 2025, appearing at a town hall organized by Indivisible Boca Raton at the South County Civic Center in Delray Beach. WLRN Public Media reporter Wilkine Brutus covered the event, speaking with Jolly ahead of the evening's program.

Florida's decision to end school vaccine mandates was a prominent theme. Jolly, a father of young children, pushed back against the policy directly. "Do we want our children going into a school where someone might not be inoculated against measles, or against polio, or another disease that could otherwise be defeated?" he said.

Jolly, who served in Congress as a Republican from 2014 to 2017 representing Florida's 13th District, left the GOP in 2018 and registered as a Democrat in early 2025 ahead of his gubernatorial run. The 2026 race is crowded, with at least 27 candidates including Republican Congressman Byron Donalds, who has received President Trump's endorsement. The Cook Political Report rates the seat as solidly Republican.

On the campaign trail, Jolly identified affordable housing as a top priority, advocating for a state catastrophic fund to remove hurricane coverage from the private insurance market, a move he said could reduce homeowners insurance costs by 60 to 70 percent.

Jolly also addressed Republican gerrymandering and what he described as the party's deliberate marginalization of communities of color, LGBTQ+ residents, and immigrant families under Governor DeSantis. On the environment, he rejected the notion that Republican investments in Everglades restoration have made the GOP credible on climate. "This is a governor and a Republican Legislature who, by law, have banned the term 'climate change' from official state documents," Jolly said.

Florida’s next gubernatorial election will be held next year, on Nov. 3, 2026.

Read the full original article at WLRN.org: https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2025-09-09/democratic-gubernatorial-candidate-david-jolly-slams-end-of-school-vaccine-mandates-gop-agenda