David Jolly now a Democrat and eyeing a run for FL Governor

I would love to see Jolly win the governorship and defeat that Maga asshole, Byron Donalds.

He has strong principles. He was always a very moderate Republican in a whacko conservative party. He was always reasonable, so it’s no surprise he left that party and joined the sane one. He’s moved left on many issues. He was never an ideologue. He will fight hard, and knows the language to get through to the center/right voters. He talks like a Democrat should in a red state- don’t go R lite. Talk about the issues. Stay on what voters are concerned about. It is how Dems won the Govs in KY, LA, KS, NC.

I wish he'd run for President in 28. Maybe he will with two years as Guv ?

What's in DeSantis's political future while Trump still breathes?

He's not gonna win, R3, but he'd have to launch his campaign for president immediately upon assuming office to have any chance of using the office as a launching pad for the presidency.

Hope he goes far - he's so damn sexy and handsome at 52.

Really, r5? DeSantis beat Gillum by a razor thin margin (less than half a percent, IIRC). Has Florida moved so far right ward in 7 years that a white guy doesn't have a chance?

Can David Jolly beat MAGA asshole Byron Donalds?

I don't trust people who switch parties after a certain point in life.

I get that people in college or their early twenties might change their political beliefs. That's natural point in time.

But, I simply do not trust politicians who suddenly decide to switch after being lifelong members of the opposing party. It's all about pesonal ambition and what they can get. Whether you're Joe Lieberman or Tulsi Gabbard or this guy. I can see going from Democrat or rethug to Independent or even rethug to libertarian. But, demonstrate a fundamental lack of character when you do a complete 180 on your core values going from Dem to rethug. And going from rethug to Dem is simply a cynical realization that you might do better personally with your political aspirations than any real change in viewpoint.

It wasn't sudden at all, r9

R9 He was never anything close to a conservative. His values have shifted some, which puts him firmly in the D camp because he really wasn’t much in the R camp to begin with.

[quote]It wasn't sudden at all, [R9]

He was elected as a rethug congressman. He was a lobbyist.

"Jolly was pro-life and authored a bill in Congress to defund Planned Parenthood and instead provide "critical non-abortion women health services through qualified community health organizations"

At best, one might say he's a centrist rethug from a time before the magats took over to during Bush II's presidency although that would still be an exaggeration of how moderate his views are. They're just moderate relative to the nutbags running the rethugs these days. Then again, these days the John Birch Society is left of center among the rethugs.

Jolly actually evolved on issues. He grew up in a Republican family, so that shaped his early views. As he saw the party shift more and more rightward, he started reevaluating his positions.

"I didn't leave the party, the party left me !"

I totally get the hate for pols who switch. For some it is obvious they don’t belong like so many southern Dems who were culturally super conservative switching to Republican once the National Democratic Party made it clear they were for social progress as well. Actually, it was Nixon’s people who first started making cultural issues a thing because they knew the Civil Rights Acts really pissed off those racist Southern Dems.

Also, many who switch do so because they were always pretending to be one or the other, and when the winds shifted enough in one direction, they felt free to leave the party they were only in for convenience. See Tulsi.

Yes, R7. Post-Covid, Florida’s undergone a sea change since the 2018 election. No Democrat need apply for statewide office.

I agree with R17. Even the wonderful long-time Democratic Senator Bill Nelson lost in 2018. The fact that Florida chose a lizard like Rick Scott over Nelson in 2018 shows you what has happened to Florida in recent years.

It's going to be a while before we can get Florida to shift back to the Dems.

That doesn’t happen very often.

Fucking Trump supported Dems before figuring out his simple strategy and slogan to get elected:

(1) play to white resentment, and

(2) "Make America Great Again."

Trump even railed against Republicans and how bad they were for the economy. He praised President Clinton as one of the best economic presidents ever. But Trump has no ideology. He realized Democrats aren’t the suckers and losers Republicans are, and knew exactly which side is easily duped and far, far more corrupt. He went there.

Trump also said Reagan and both Bushs were terrible presidents. A broken clock.

Maybe this is the key to Dems winning in 2028—-find republicans and run them. Certainly the Dems could use more republican voters ( aka American Nazis on DL ) to switch parties why not those who run?

Jolly ho!

With the Great Realignment, R23, we’ve already secured the votes of large swaths of “republican voters,” i.e., college educated voters. Alas, we’ve lost large swaths of former democrats, i.e., non-college educated voters.

If this were the other way around the DL conservatives would be SCREAMING "see, everyone is leaving the Democratic Party. It's too extreme."

R25 Democrats lost racists, misogynists, homophobes.

R27 and lost the Supreme Court, all 7 battleground states, the House, the Senate, the popular vote, and the White House. We are now a purer but smaller less popular party.

Well played Dems

R28 And Republicans recently lost Congress and the presidency, too. 5 years ago. They had the worst midterms since 1934 3 years ago. Change your diaper. Trump's so unpopular now voters will flock back to Democrats regardless of how they "feel" about them.

Yes, Democrats (likely) will, R29, but that’s because they have the most educated base, ones more likely to show up in non-presidential elections. But that doesn’t solve the problem they have with less educated voters who DO show up every four years.

Living in Florida for years, he needs to concentrate on insurance reform and anything related to money (Hoa, help for the elderly)

DeSantan won on anti-wokeness. How fucking easy was that?

R30 Republicans won the popular vote in only 2 out the last 9 elections, 1 in the last 5. Data is not on your side.

[quote] Trump's so unpopular now voters will flock back to Democrats regardless of how they "feel" about them.

Trump’s favorability is in the 40s. The favorability of the Democratic Party is 27%. Democrats have a lot of work to do and can’t count on that flocking.

Please for the love of god, Charlie Crist can’t run again

I’m starting to think he was paid off to run so desanti# had an easy win

R29 you may be correct. But then I bet you thought Biden was going to win then Harris was going to win. Now you predict more about the future. No one including me that predicted a Harris win should be telling anyone for sure what will happen in the future.

When the GOP lost previously they never lost to a democrat that was driven, that had a man in charge bent on destroying the GOP for the rest of time. And the will to carry it out. You know what the gop has today.

What happened 5 or 15 years ago is a moot fucking point. . Ancient history. The GOP has no plans to leave . The dems are now aces at co-ed slow pitch softball while the gop plays hardball.

R35 You got nothing. Your point was decimated.

Ancient history? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Crist is not running again, R34.

[quote] Republicans won the popular vote in only 2 out the last 9 elections, 1 in the last 5. Data is not on your side.

Alas, we don't elect US presidents on the basis of the total popular vote.

[quote] DeSantis beat Gillum by a razor thin margin (less than half a percent, IIRC). Has Florida moved so far right ward in 7 years that a white guy doesn't have a chance?

Yes.

R39 That’ll end in tears. Plus, billionaires are paying off politicians to do shit like this.