Meet the Republicans Voting Blue in Florida

Por Laura C. Morel — Mother Jones Magazine

Bobby Williams, a third-generation Floridian and founder of a disaster relief nonprofit, was one in the crowded field of Republican candidates in Florida this summer seeking to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis. A conservative from rural Polk County, Williams’ platform centered on preserving the state’s agricultural land and halting development, including data centers, as more people have moved here since the pandemic. His official slogan was, “FLORIDA IS FULL.”

Williams lost the Republican nomination to Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, but earlier this month, he decided to publicly support a gubernatorial candidate: Democrat David Jolly.

“My message hasn’t changed; it’s back to ‘We the People’ instead of ‘We the Lobbyists’ and ‘We the Big Corporations,’” Williams said earlier this month at a press conference. “It’s person over party…What person is going to best represent Floridians?” He continued, “We want someone who is going to fight for Floridians.”

Williams is not alone. A few other Republicans, including current and former officials, have publicly endorsed Jolly—a former GOP member of Congress who left the party during Trump’s first term, became an independent, and registered as a Democrat last year before running for governor. On social media, a Facebook group called Republicans for Jolly, which now has dozens of members, has also formed. They’re unhappy with Donalds, citing his plans to support data center development as well as his inflated campaign funding from big corporations. Jolly, on the other hand, has vowed to enact a statewide moratorium on data centers and is not taking any corporate contributions. As one political analyst told me last month, his campaign has focused on embracing supporters from all party affiliations. 

Beyond Florida, cross-party endorsements are also happening in Iowa, where Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand launched a “Rob-publicans” campaign with more than 100 Republicans who are voting for him. In Texas, US Senate candidate James Talarico has racked up more than 20 endorsements from former and current GOP officials. A former Republican Kansas governor has also endorsed Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton in that state. Cross-party endorsements are not a new phenomenon, political experts told me, and it can go both ways. A moderate Democrat from Maine, for example, endorsed Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York. But GOP defectors appear to be more common this year, likely due to Trump’s growing disapproval among voters. “The Republicans are having a bad year. Right now, Trump is a big liability,” said Sean Freeder, director of the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida. “He’s the reason they are having this bad year.”  

Still, Jolly faces an uphill battle to break the 27-year streak of Republican control in the governor’s office. In terms of registered voters, registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by 1.5 million. Jolly would need to secure solid support from the state’s independent voter pool, on top of Democrat votes, to win. But the changing support coming from Republicans is an indication that there are some fractures within Florida’s GOP as discontent grows over rising gas prices, high grocery costs, the war in Iran, and growing voter disapproval of Trump’s excesses. A survey of Florida voters last week found the race is essentially tied, and other polls also appear to confirm that Jolly is gaining momentum.

Williams did not respond to my requests for an interview. But in a Facebook video filmed in his car while he sipped on an iced tea, he explained in further detail why he’s supporting Jolly. “We’re unaffordable today, our insurance rates are where they are at, developers are destroying Florida, our water is being polluted on a Republican watch, so if Donalds wins, he has full rein.” Jolly had even called him, while Donalds and Florida GOP chair Evan Power never reached out to him after the primary. While he is not officially endorsing Jolly, Williams says his message to his followers is a simple one: “What is best for Florida?” To him, the answer is a vote for Jolly. “Whether full staunch Republicans are going to hate me or not, it is what it is.” While some of his followers agreed with him, others were disappointed that he would back a Democrat. “You are insane,” one commenter wrote. “I soooooo regret my vote for you.” 

Austin Gravley, a city council member for the small town of Frostproof, population 3,500, in Central Florida, faced similar backlash online when he decided to publicly support Jolly. A Frostproof native, Gravley has identified as a Republican since before he could vote, volunteering for the GOP when he was 16 years old. He registered as a Republican in 2010 and voted for former Florida governor and US Sen. Rick Scott, as well as Marco Rubio during his 2016 presidential run. He voted for Trump three times. “I’m as Republican as you can get,” he told me. “So a lot of people are rightfully confused.”

He says he is tired of the culture wars, pointing out a recent Florida law banning Sharia law. “Let’s get back to dealing with the kitchen table issues that are affecting Floridians’ everyday lives,” Gravley said.

As a local elected official, he’s seen the erosion of what is called “home rule” as new Florida laws limit local governments’ ability to make decisions in their own communities. He’s concerned about a new Republican-led amendment on the ballot this November that would drastically cut property taxes in Florida and gut local funding. “Every year, there’s new legislation passed restricting how we can do our jobs at the local level. What’s good for Frostproof may not be good for Miami.” And these laws continue to pass without much debate in Tallahassee, he added. “I see Democrats on the House floor advocating for home rule and making great floor speeches, and then the Republicans just move forward with their vote.”

As with so many conversations about the 2026 midterms, data centers play a central role. He’s not against them, but says they should be developed slowly with the right regulations, which is in stark contrast to Donalds’ casual comments about building them rapidly within the state. “I feel like checks and balances would be healthy for our government right now, and I don’t believe David Jolly is a radical leftist,” he said. “I think he’s very much in the center.” 

George Kruse, a commissioner in deep-red Manatee County, is another elected Republican now supporting Jolly. Kruse wrote about this decision on his Substack. “Every day, every meeting, residents of Manatee County express frustration with overdevelopment, a lack of infrastructure, and a lost local voice. As a local commissioner, I see firsthand the local control being stripped away, the growth management authority being preempted, and your local voices being silenced,” he wrote. “If you want things to be different in Tallahassee, you need to go out and vote for something different.” 

“People need to start focusing on the person instead of the party,” Kruse told me. Kruse, co-chair of the Republicans for Jolly coalition, is also supporting Kelly Kirschner, a former Sarasota mayor running for congressional district 16 in southwest Florida as a Democrat. “You have to vote for the better person, and sometimes that person has a different letter after their name. Sometimes, that person has a D after their name.”

Fonte: Mother Jones Magazine