Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly acknowledges that the campaign of likely General Election opponent Byron Donalds is having a lot of “fun” with his decision to relocate during COVID, but he continues to defend the temporary relocation. 

“‘During COVID, he took his 1-year-old daughter out of Florida to Pennsylvania.’ Yes, you know why? Because I care about the safety and security of my child in a state that denied public health and denied science,” Jolly told Democrats in Clay County this week.

“Yes, as a parent of a 7- and 5-year-old, in a state that has abandoned public education, I worry about where to educate my daughter and my son in the state of Florida. And in a state that launches culture wars, I want my children to know that absolutely everybody deserves to have their rights protected, and their dignity celebrated, regardless of the color of your skin, where you were born, who you love, or who you worship. Because I’m a responsible parent. Not because I’m a politician.”

As the Tampa Bay Times reported, Jolly had moved to his wife’s home state in 2020 for a short period of time. 

Donalds has framed the move as a key contrast between Jolly and himself.

“While Ron DeSantis kept Florida open, kept our kids in school, and protected the Florida way of life, Jolly fled to Pennsylvania — backing the lockdowns and attacking DeSantis’s handling of COVID. Now he wants to come back and run the state he walked away from. Floridians need a leader, not someone who fled freedom in pursuit of government overreach.”

Also during the same appearance, Jolly made light of Clay County, a Republican-heavy bedroom community of Jacksonville with nearly a quarter million people, by riffing about his surprise that locals saw him during his appearances on MSNBC. 

“I admit, when I’m in parts of the state like we are tonight, I’m surprised you get MSNBC. So, thank you for being a regular viewer. I appreciate it. Thank you for being part of the viewing family.”

He went on to say the campaign will have a billboard in the county between now and the General Election.

Jolly also joked about the difference between two of his kids, contrasting his daughter “who will be Governor before I am” with his 5-year-old son, who is “never leaving the house” and aspires to be a “stay-at-home dad.”

“He meant our home. He wants my wife to raise his kids. God bless the partner that Teddy finds in life. Watch out for that young person,” Jolly joked.

Jolly also addressed issues of the day, including expressing doubts about Amendment 3, which would increase homestead exemptions to $250,000 by 2028. He said local governments should control millage and exemptions, and expects he will stand “shoulder to shoulder” with public safety unions that have warned that the proposal would defund police and fire.

He also responded to Donalds and his allies attempting to weaponize his support of LGBTQ+ rights, including the right to be transgender, an issue in the campaign, with accusations that Jolly favors “genital mutilation.”

“It’s one of the ugliest chapters in our politics, and one of the ugliest things a politician can do, which is to manipulate and humiliate the identity of a young person for the sake of getting elected Governor of the state of Florida. It’s ugly, and it’s wrong,” Jolly said.

“And it’s why I say we’re trying to believe in something better than this moment. Look, they’re going to do this every day for the next 90 days, because it’s the only trick they know. Because they’re losing this race. Because the economy is getting away from people, and people are exhausted by the culture wars,” Jolly said.