Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 191
Blue Wave Update
Former Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) quietly registered under no-party affiliation several weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Times reports, “spurred in large part by the pending birth of a daughter for whom they wanted to set an example and not be part of of the Trump party.”
Said Jolly: “It’s also just a personal rejection of partisanship. It’s a very comfortable place for us to be.”
“What too many lawmakers fail to see is this: If you don’t go on the record, your opinion doesn’t count. Worse, neither will your legacy. Refusing to publicly acknowledge your convictions simply affirms your unwillingness to act on them. And that is an indictment of you, not the president.”
— Former Rep. David Jolly (R-FL), writing in the Washington Post, calling out Republican lawmakers who refuse to condemn President Trump.
Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) is dropping out of the U.S. Senate race and running for re-election instead, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Jolly said on CNN that Sen, Marco Rubio is “saying he is getting in,” but later walked back that statement.
“Marco has my support if he gets in. But I will say it’s not unanimous among Republicans at home… His decision to skip votes during the presidential race nationally I don’t think had a big implication, but at home it certainly did.”
— Rep. David Jolly (R-FL), quoted by the National Journal, on his campaign to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate.
“Under intense local, state and national pressure, Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) is considering whether to drop his bid for U.S. Senate and run for reelection against former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist,” Politico reports.
“Jolly’s campaign would neither confirm nor deny the degree to which he’s weighing his options, only saying that ‘nothing has changed’ concerning his Senate bid. But those familiar with Jolly’s thinking say he has watched his chances in the crowded GOP Senate primary transform for the worse in recent weeks while a reelection bid for Florida’s 13th congressional district have brightened.”
Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) will stop personally fundraising for his U.S. Senate bid, National Journal reports.
“The highly unusual move—in the middle of a marquee Senate race—comes as Jolly prepares to roll out legislation that would bar all members of Congress from personally asking for campaign contributions. It’s an effort to put Congress back to work on pressing issues like national security.”
The real news from former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s (D) congressional campaign kick off was Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) crashing Crist’s party to blast him, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Said Jolly: “I care too much about this district, the institution of Congress, and who represents us to lay down and let this huckster walk into office. He’s a fraud. …He will tell you anything that you want to hear for the sake of trying to get your support.”
“Jolly is stepping down from the seat and running for U.S. Senate — and attacking Crist is pretty good politics in a competitive GOP Senate primary — largely because the south Pinellas district has been redrawn to overwhelmingly favor a Democrat.”
Rep. David Jolly (R-FL), “the former congressional aide who surprised much of the political world 15 months ago by winning a special election for a Pinellas County congressional seat, is running for U.S. Senate,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.
“Jolly cracked the door open for a Senate run after Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced he would take a pass, but the move became much more logical for him earlier this month after the Florida Supreme Court ruled that state lawmakers must re-draw the boundaries of eight congressional districts including his.”
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D) “is strongly considering a political comeback in 2016 now that a new state Supreme Court ruling nearly guarantees that a swing congressional seat will be redrawn to rope in his home along with a gaggle of Democrats,” Politico reports.
“The court ruling could also force Rep. David Jolly, the incumbent Republican of the district in question, to forgo a reelection bid and instead try his luck with an open Senate seat.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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