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Florida is at an inflection point.
For years, Floridians have been told that our state is the model for conservative governance. We have heard about economic growth, freedom and opportunity. But for millions of people who actually live here, the reality is considerably less flattering.
Homeowners are being crushed by insurance premiums. Renters are struggling to keep up with housing costs. Families are paying more for groceries, utilities and health care. Public schools face mounting challenges, and a state government increasingly consumed by ideological battles has too often lost sight of the everyday responsibilities of governing.
Floridians deserve better than another election fought over political grievances, culture-war talking points and partisan loyalty.
They deserve leaders who understand that public office is a responsibility, not a possession.
For Governor, The County endorses David Jolly. For the United States Senate, we endorse Angie Nixon.
These are different candidates with different political backgrounds and approaches. But both offer something Florida desperately needs: a willingness to challenge the political status quo and put the interests of ordinary people ahead of the demands of entrenched political power.
David Jolly is not the conventional Democratic candidate Florida might have expected to nominate a decade ago. A former Republican congressman who eventually broke with his party and became an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, Jolly brings an unusual political background to a state whose electorate cannot be understood through traditional partisan assumptions.
That background is an asset.
Florida does not need a governor who treats every disagreement as a political game. It needs someone capable of building coalitions, understanding the state's diverse electorate and recognizing that good government should be measured by results rather than ideological purity.
Jolly has made affordability central to his campaign, and appropriately so. Florida's property insurance crisis has become one of the defining economic challenges facing homeowners. The threat of rising premiums, shrinking coverage options and escalating housing costs is not an abstract policy debate. It affects whether families can afford to remain in the communities they have called home for generations.
His proposal for a state catastrophic insurance fund deserves serious consideration. So do his commitments to public education, competitive teacher compensation, Medicaid expansion and property tax reform.
These are not peripheral concerns. They are the responsibilities of a governor.
Jolly also understands something that has been missing from Tallahassee: governing requires more than winning elections. It requires the ability to work with people who disagree with you.
We recognize that Jolly's political evolution will invite skepticism from some voters, particularly those who have spent years fighting the policies of the Republican Party he once belonged to. That skepticism is understandable. His positions should be judged by their substance, consistency and results, not simply by his party registration.
But political backgrounds should not disqualify people from changing their minds. Florida's future is more important than enforcing ideological loyalty tests.
His running mate, Gwen Graham, brings additional experience in public education and congressional service. Together, they offer a ticket with the potential to restore a measure of competence and seriousness to the governor's office.
The alternative, Byron Donalds, represents a continuation of the political direction that has dominated Tallahassee and increasingly defined Florida's relationship with Washington. Voters should ask whether four more years of that approach will make their lives more affordable, their schools stronger or their government more responsive.
We believe the answer is clear.
David Jolly is the better choice to lead Florida.
If David Jolly represents an opportunity to change the direction of Florida's executive leadership, Angie Nixon represents an opportunity to change whose interests are prioritized in the United States Senate.
Nixon has spent years in the Florida Legislature challenging a political establishment that too often seems more interested in protecting its own power than addressing the needs of its constituents.
A former community organizer, she understands that political representation means more than appearing at ribbon cuttings, issuing press releases and voting along party lines. It means showing up when people are being ignored.
Her opposition to Florida's congressional redistricting efforts is particularly important. The dismantling and dilution of historically Black voting districts is not simply a dispute over cartography. It is a question of political representation and whether communities that have spent generations fighting for a meaningful voice in government will continue to have one. Nixon has been willing to put herself on the line over that issue. That willingness matters.
Her policy agenda also speaks directly to the economic pressures facing Florida families. She supports Medicare for All, universal child care, paid family and medical leave, stronger affordable housing protections and a federal response to Florida's property insurance crisis. Some of these proposals will face considerable political opposition in Washington. Others will require difficult negotiations and legislative compromises. But the existence of political obstacles is not a reason to abandon ambitious ideas.
Florida has no shortage of elected officials who explain why something cannot be done. It needs more elected officials willing to explain what they intend to do about it.
Nixon's campaign has also emphasized the influence of corporate money in American politics. Her commitment to rejecting corporate PAC contributions is an important statement about the kind of political independence she wants to bring to Washington.
Her opponent, incumbent Ashley Moody, has not adequately distinguished herself as an independent voice for Florida families. Her record on federal health care policy, including opposition to extending enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, raises serious questions about whether she is prepared to defend access to affordable coverage at a time when millions of Americans face growing uncertainty. She was also a central figure in the state's $10M SCAM, where federal healthcare dollars flowed to political campaigning.
That alone should disqualify Ashley Moody.
Angie Nixon offers not only a stronger vision for the people she seeks to represent, but she also has not scammed the state.
Nixon for Senate.
For U.S. Senate, and Governor of Florida, The County endorses ANGIE NIXON and DAVID JOLLY, respectively.
