VOLUSIA, Fla – Democrat David Jolly brought his campaign for Florida governor to Daytona Beach Saturday, underscoring the growing focus on Volusia County as candidates crisscross the state ahead of the Nov. 4 election.
Jolly stopped at a local church days after making campaign stops in Orlando, Tampa and South Florida. He said the I-4 corridor, which includes Volusia County, reflects a wide range of issues facing voters.
“Look, the I-4 corridor is incredibly diverse,” Jolly said. “But I think what we also see in Volusia is the real diversity of economic conditions.”
Jolly’s visit came just days after Republican Byron Donalds campaigned in the area, stopping at a resort in Daytona Beach Shores. Donalds also visited Kissimmee before heading to South Florida.
At his Volusia County stop, Donalds told attendees he wanted to hear from them directly.
“Let’s go around the room, introduce yourselves, and let’s have a dialogue,” Donalds said.
On Saturday, Jolly focused on issues he said are dividing Floridians, criticizing culture-war politics and calling for a state fund to respond to major natural disasters. He also targeted Donalds, accusing him of moving away from President Donald Trump as Trump’s popularity declines.
Donalds pushed back this week on claims that he is distancing himself from Trump after his campaign website removed major references to Trump’s endorsement.
“We’re not distancing ourselves from President Trump,” Donalds said. “We’ve been planning on making website changes for about two months now, coming out of the primary. We wanted the website to be purely on the issues that we’re campaigning on.”
Donalds added, “President Trump has endorsed us. Grateful to have his endorsement.”
The candidates are offering sharply different messages on the campaign trail, but both have acknowledged that whoever wins will need to work with Florida’s Republican-dominated Legislature. That includes addressing possible local budget shortfalls if property tax relief passes.
Jolly said the state must focus on affordability, education and health care.
“We know the economy is leaving a lot of people behind,” Jolly said. “Housing and health care in particular, that we’ve abandoned education and that the culture wars have divided people.”
Donalds has emphasized cost concerns as well, including price transparency.
“Price transparency is one of the cornerstones of stabilizing costs,” Donalds said. “Because then everybody knows what everybody else is charging.”
With voting by mail underway, the race for Florida governor is now fully in motion. Election Day is Nov. 4.
