Donalds, Jolly make final campaign stops before Florida election

TAMPA, Fla. - Florida gubernatorial nominees Byron Donalds and David Jolly held statewide campaign rallies Monday to make their final pitches on the eve of Election Day. 

Florida governor candidates campaign

The backstory:

Both nominees are traveling across Florida on Monday to rally supporters during the final hours of the campaign. Donalds started his "Defending the Florida Dream" bus tour in Tarpon Springs on Monday morning before heading to Polk County at noon with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Moody. Donalds wrapped up his campaign stops on Monday afternoon in Sarasota.

Jolly and running mate Gwen Graham are concluding their "Believe in Better" tour with stops across Central and South Florida. The Democratic ticket visited Haines City in Polk County on Monday morning before traveling east to Brevard County, with final rallies in Palm Beach and Broward counties on Monday night.

Candidates converge on Polk County

Big picture view:

Donalds and Jolly spent part of their final day in Polk County, which has become a crucial battleground. 

Donalds stopped at a Beef O'Brady's in Lakeland, the week after Governor Ron DeSantis warned that Republican turnout was behind its typical pace. Turnout is nearly deadlocked there, despite Republicans holding a 50,000 voter advantage and the governor winning the county by nearly 30 points in 2022.

David Jolly campaigned at a church in Haines City, and pointed out that 49% of Democrats have voted, versus just 38% of Republicans. Because there are more Republican voters statewide, their advantage in the electorate is 2.4 points. 

But their advantage in the overall electorate is now 11 points, which means they are underperforming. Plus, Jolly insists voters with no party affiliation are leaning towards him.

What they're saying:

"This election is going to get decided by who shows up," said Jolly. "Thus far, we are seeing a lot of Democrats show up, but I am also encouraged by crossover votes from Republicans and NPA voters. I feel very good about where we are. We have to leave it all on the field to reach every voter between here and tomorrow night."

"Are you going to be with us to make sure that Florida remains the best in America?" Donalds asked the audience. "Are you going to help us do what we've grown accustomed to in Florida for a long time, beating the Democrats one more time? Are you with us? That's what it takes, that's the energy we see."

Gubernatorial candidates final pitches

What they're saying:

Speaking to supporters over the weekend, Donalds expressed confidence about Tuesday's outcome.

"We know that the voters of Florida are going to show up to polls in a major way on Election Day, and we are going to win the race, and I'm going to be your next governor," Donalds said.

"So, we all have frustrations. But that doesn't mean we turn our state over to the likes of the Democratic Party that has ruined every other state in this country. What that means is that we fight for our state. We put policies in to make it better. We lower the cost of construction. We lower [the] cost of insurance. We build the roads that we need. We protect the aquifers that are precious. We make sure our ag lands are still in production, and we continue to be focused on the policies that has made Florida the exception of the other 49 states," Donalds said, addressing crowds ahead of Tuesday's vote.

Speaking in South Florida on Sunday, Jolly urged his supporters to participate.

"Our kids, our grandkids are looking at us when the nation is breaking... they are one day going to say, ‘Mom, Dad... when the nation was breaking, what are you doing about it?’ And we get to say we didn't just only come together and win an election, we came together and we changed the world," Jolly said.

During a Sunday campaign event in Miami, Jolly outlined his economic philosophy.

"Policies flow from values and unless we decide what are the values that can create the strength of a nation, we'll never get to the policy. So the values are very simple. But as you hear them, you'll realize we've kind of abandoned them in our politics. The first value is very simple — that the economy should work for everybody. The economy should work for everyone," Jolly said.

Florida Election Day details

Why you should care:

Registered voters who did not cast ballots during early voting must vote in person on Tuesday at their assigned precinct. Voting locations across Florida open at 7 a.m. local time and close at 7 p.m. local time. Every voter must present a valid form of photo and signature identification at the check-in table before casting a ballot.

What's next:

Republicans are banking on a sizable Election Day turnout, insisting that they have double the number of likely voters left who have not yet voted. Polls in recent days have showed both Donalds and Jolly with leads that are within the margin of error.

Jolly’s election night party is slated to be in Tampa, while Donalds party will be in Fort Lauderdale.

FloridaPoliticsNews