{"id":259771,"date":"2026-08-05T17:02:06","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T17:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/259771\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T17:02:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T17:02:06","slug":"responsible-parent-david-jolly-defends-decision-to-move-to-pennsylvania-during-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/259771\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Responsible parent’ David Jolly defends decision to move to Pennsylvania during pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly<\/a> acknowledges that the campaign of likely General Election opponent Byron Donalds<\/a> is having a lot of \u201cfun\u201d with his decision to relocate during COVID, but he continues to defend the temporary relocation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018During COVID, he took his 1-year-old daughter out of Florida to Pennsylvania.\u2019 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,\u201d Jolly told Democrats in Clay County<\/a> this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, 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\u2019m a responsible parent. Not because I\u2019m a politician.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Tampa Bay Times<\/a> reported, Jolly had moved to his wife\u2019s home state in 2020 for a short period of time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Donalds has framed the move as a key contrast between Jolly and himself.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile Ron DeSantis kept Florida open, kept our kids in school, and protected the Florida way of life, Jolly fled to Pennsylvania \u2014 backing the lockdowns and attacking DeSantis\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also during the same appearance, Jolly made light of Clay County<\/a>, 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<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI admit, when I\u2019m in parts of the state like we are tonight, I\u2019m surprised you get MSNBC. So, thank you for being a regular viewer. I appreciate it. Thank you for being part of the viewing family.\u201d<\/p>\n

He went on to say the campaign will have a billboard in the county between now and the General Election.<\/p>\n

Jolly also joked about the difference between two of his kids, contrasting his daughter \u201cwho will be Governor before I am\u201d with his 5-year-old son, who is \u201cnever leaving the house\u201d and aspires to be a \u201cstay-at-home dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe 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,\u201d Jolly joked.<\/p>\n

Jolly also addressed issues of the day, including expressing doubts about Amendment 3<\/a>, which would increase homestead exemptions to $250,000 by 2028. He said local governments should control millage and exemptions, and expects he will stand \u201cshoulder to shoulder\u201d with public safety unions that have warned that the proposal would defund police and fire.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cgenital mutilation<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 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\u2019s ugly, and it\u2019s wrong,\u201d Jolly said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s why I say we\u2019re trying to believe in something better than this moment. Look, they\u2019re going to do this every day for the next 90 days, because it\u2019s the only trick they know. Because they\u2019re losing this race. Because the economy is getting away from people, and people are exhausted by the culture wars,\u201d Jolly said.<\/p>\n