Gwen Graham as David Jolly’s LG? The speculation is loud and clear
The Jolly campaign has yet to confirm the pick, but a Tallahassee pastor spilled the beans.
It now seems likely that
Gwen Graham will be
David Jolly’s choice for Lieutenant Governor, as more credible sources are fueling the speculation.
Rev.
R.B. Holmes Jr., pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee, named Graham as Jolly’s running mate during his Sunday sermon, according to sources close to the campaign. The USA Today Network also
reported Holmes’ announcement.
Holmes Jr. is the Faith Leadership Chair for Jolly’s campaign and leads ‘Faith Leaders for Florida’s Future,’ a group of pastors from historically Black congregations who support Jolly.
Graham served one term as the representative for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District. She won the seat in 2014,
defeating U.S. Rep.
Steve Southerland in a surprising Democratic victory, even though it was a tough year for the GOP after President
Barack Obama’s re-election.
Graham did not seek re-election in 2016 because redistricting made her path to victory even more difficult. She opted instead to run for Governor in 2018, losing the Democratic Primary to
Andrew Gillum despite significant institutional backing.
Earlier this year, Graham
announced she would not run again for her old seat, which U.S. Rep.
Neal Dunn is vacating, setting up an open race in a year expected to favor Democrats. But that decision paved the way for Graham to run on Jolly’s ticket.
The Jolly campaign has not confirmed Graham as the pick for Lieutenant Governor.
“We don’t have anything to announce at this time,” said
Mark Riddle, a senior adviser for the Jolly campaign.
But look for a possible announcement on Thursday, when Jolly is slated to speak at “
a very important campaign rally” that “you won’t want to miss” in Miami. Appropriately, the rally is being held at the Graham Center Ballroom on the Florida International University campus.
The speculation about Graham as Jolly’s No. 2 comes just days after the path to the Democratic nomination essentially cleared. Orange County Mayor
Jerry Demings announced on Friday that he was
suspending his gubernatorial campaign after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. No other prominent Democrat is in the race, though several Democratic candidates have filed with the state to run. Qualifying for the race is on Friday, and it will become clear then whether any of the unheard-of candidates will make the ballot.
A ticket with Graham on it would accomplish a lot for Jolly. Even after Demings departed from the race, some Democrats were still less than thrilled about Jolly’s candidacy, most opposing him because he used to be a Republican. Some have encouraged voters to cast a ballot instead for
Desmond Meade, an activist running as an independent. With Graham as his running mate, Jolly could potentially woo some reluctant Democrats with the former U.S. Representative’s strong Democratic history. Graham is the daughter of former U.S. Senator and former Florida Gov.
Bob Graham, also a Democrat.
Graham could also help Jolly’s campaign appeal to women voters, bringing more balance to a field currently dominated by men.
Jolly has a tough road ahead, even if he’s cleared in the Primary. As of the end of May, Republican front-runner
Byron Donalds had reportedly raised
more than $81 million. By comparison, as of the end of March, Jolly’s campaign had raised just $5 million.
And Jolly also faces a voter registration
disadvantage of 1.5 million voters, a number that has steadily grown since the GOP registration first surpassed Democrats in 2021.
