Democrats send $1 million to Florida’s ‘traitor’ ex-Republican Jolly — DeSantis delivers smackdown

THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?

SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).

The Democratic Governors Association is investing $1 million in former Republican congressman David Jolly’s Florida gubernatorial campaign against Byron Donalds.
Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed the announcement with a four-word response: “That is peanuts for a state as big as Florida.”
X users piled on with jokes about wasted money, expensive Florida advertising and the former Republican’s political transformation, while Democrats pointed to encouraging polling and early-voting figures.

LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).

National Democrats have finally decided to put some serious money into Florida’s governor’s race.

One million dollars.

And before David Jolly could finish celebrating the announcement, Gov. Ron DeSantis showed up with four words and a rather large bucket of cold water.

“That is peanuts for a state as big as Florida.”

Welcome to the Sunshine State, where a million-dollar political investment can apparently buy you a congratulatory phone call, a few television commercials and a public roasting from the governor.

The Democratic Governors Association announced Tuesday that it would invest $1 million in Jolly’s effort to defeat Republican Rep. Byron Donalds and succeed DeSantis.

Jolly, a former Republican congressman who eventually became a Democrat, has been urging national Democratic organizations to take his campaign seriously and open their wallets.

The DGA finally obliged.

“DGA is proud to support Jolly who has run an aggressive, grassroots campaign that has given him a clear path to victory,” spokesman Kevin Donohue said in a statement.

Democrats point to tighter-than-expected polling and early-voting numbers as reasons to increase their investment in a state that has moved steadily toward Republicans in recent elections.

But if the announcement was supposed to intimidate Florida Republicans, somebody forgot to notify the internet.

The news immediately became a political comedy routine on X, where critics began calculating just how quickly a million dollars could disappear in Florida’s extraordinarily expensive media markets.

One user, David Biddle, offered a practical assessment. “That’s nothing, basically one TV ad buy in one media market.”

Another commenter, Ito Ayami, had an even shorter explanation of what Democrats had purchased. “So they bought some newspaper ads in Miami got it.”

And those were the relatively polite reviews. “Lighting money on fire,” wrote X user Tørrence Bellinzona.

Another user, Bee Bee, compared the investment to tossing a penny into the ocean and hoping to find it again.

That’s one way to describe campaign finance in Florida. It’s also a fairly accurate description of what happens when you try to buy advertising in Miami during election season.

Then came Mad Max with a suggestion for eliminating the middleman.

“Might as well dig a hole, put the $1M in the hole and set it on fire.”

Well, at least that would produce a memorable campaign video.

The mockery wasn’t limited to the size of the check.

Jolly’s political history provided another source of entertainment. He served as a Republican congressman from 2014 to 2017 before leaving the party and eventually registering as a Democrat. He subsequently became a familiar television commentator criticizing Trump and the modern Republican Party.

For some Republican voters, that journey has invited comparisons to former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, another politician who crossed the party divide.

Twitchy’s Just Mindy called Jolly “Charlie Crist lite,” a political transformation that clearly hasn’t won universal admiration among his former Republican allies.

One X commenter suggested that Jolly might have better luck running for dog catcher.

The response was followed by a photograph of a dog, presumably representing a constituency that had not yet endorsed him.

Not everyone was dismissing the investment, however.

Florida political journalist Matt Dixon noted that Democrats had been waiting for national support, even if it arrived late in the campaign.

“That’s what dems here have been waiting for, even if it came late in cycle,” Dixon wrote.

And the Democratic Party has reasons for renewed interest.

Jolly’s campaign has emphasized housing costs, property insurance, health care and affordability, issues that resonate across Florida’s rapidly growing population.

Former President Bill Clinton has also helped raise money for the campaign, including a Miami fundraiser that brought in more than $3 million.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Donalds and his supporting political operation had raised substantially more money than Jolly’s side, with figures of approximately $148 million versus $22 million.

That’s a rather sizable financial difference, even before DeSantis starts making peanut comparisons.

Still, campaign cash isn’t the same thing as votes, and Democrats believe their improved numbers justify spending more money in the final days.

Florida’s early-voting figures have also attracted attention, although early turnout by party registration does not establish which candidate those voters supported or determine the eventual election result.

The announcement has therefore produced two competing reactions.

Democrats see an opportunity worth funding. Republican critics see an expensive gamble in a state where television airtime can consume a million dollars before breakfast.

And the internet, naturally, sees an opportunity to make jokes about setting cash on fire.

The DGA has made its opening investment. Jolly finally has some national money coming his way. Donalds continues campaigning with a substantial fundraising advantage.

And DeSantis has already offered his assessment of the Democratic check.

Four words. No fundraising consultant required.