st. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – A former Republican Congressman from Pinellas County joined Democrats on Saturday for City Hall.
These gatherings take place across the country in the Red District, particularly in areas where Council GOP members have not yet held in-person city halls.
Democrats are garnering voters in the Tampa Bay area alongside former Pinellas County Republican Rep. David Jolly.
“The political movement is growing for now in response to a lot of controversy that feels like it’s coming out of Washington, D.C.,” Jolie said. “It’s true, this event is organized by the state Democrats, but we’re looking at people who are independent and soft Republicans if you want to call it.”
The event is part of a major Democrat push to host city halls in Republican districts, particularly in areas where GOP members of Congress do not hold city halls.
While in these red districts, Democrats are looking to expand their message and build voter outreach in the hopes of turning the house over after the midterm elections. California Democrat Eric Swalwell said the long game is to boost voters’ confidence in access to the ballot box, California Sen. Eric Swalwell said.
“We need election infrastructure at your points, so we need governors and those seats.
Jolie, who left the Republican Party in 2018, hopes voters will pay attention to cuts led by Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“If you’re worried about a sudden change that worries you about providing federal services, veteran services, what does that mean for Social Security? What does that mean for Medicare? And for this particular event, there’s no local representative and obviously no town hall held,” Jolie said.
Florida GOP Chair Evan Power has issued a statement dealing with the democratic city hall.
“More manufactured noise. People have re-elected Congressman Luna, by far. If only Florida Democrats were concerned when the autopen machine was running the country, it’s based on promises made while the administration was elected.”
Democrats are adding more stops in Florida as they work to grow support in unlikely places.
