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Republicans for Jolly Launches in St. Petersburg to Cour t GOP Voters

The effort highlights local‑control and anti‑development issues to persuade some Republicans to back Democrat David Jolly as a test of cross‑party appeal.

Overview

  • A small press event in Williams Park publicly launched the 'Republicans for Jolly' outreach on Monday, with Greg Wilson and Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse named as co‑chairs.
  • Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Bobby Williams spoke at the event and formally endorsed Jolly, citing shared opposition to large data centers and a focus on local control.
  • Jolly’s campaign published a landing page and a map to showcase Republican supporters but removed the map after critics and the Donalds campaign said it displayed only a handful of names.
  • The Byron Donalds campaign and state Republican figures condemned the rollout, calling Jolly’s agenda unacceptable to GOP voters and using the event to reinforce party unity behind Donalds.
  • The effort signals Jolly’s strategy to win elections in a Republican‑leaning Florida by courting disaffected conservatives and independents and will be measured by whether it expands his coalitions in key rural and suburban counties.