THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?
SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).
- Some Florida conservatives unhappy with Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds are discussing skipping the race or voting for Democrat David Jolly.
- Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed Donalds on September 2 despite their previous political disagreements, adding another dimension to the Republican argument.
LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).
Florida Republicans have apparently discovered a new way to argue among themselves: What if you dislike your own party’s candidate so much that you help elect the other guy?
With the November 3 governor’s election approaching, Republican Byron Donalds is facing Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties.
Some conservatives still aren’t sold on Donalds and are contemplating a protest: Leave the governor’s line blank, or cast a ballot for Jolly and trust Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature to keep him in check.
That’s certainly one strategy for winning an argument with your own party. Whether it accomplishes anything resembling the intended result is another question.
that’s not true and people need to stop saying this. Jolly can do a lot of damage with executive actions circumventing the legislature.
— Just Mindy 🐊 (@just_mindy) October 24, 2026
The Florida governor has considerable authority independent of the legislature. The governor appoints agency leaders and judges, directs executive agencies, can veto legislation, and plays a major role in developing the state’s budget.
Even a legislature controlled by the opposite party cannot simply take over those functions.
I care too much for the kids of Florida who need vouchers to play around with voting for Dems. I also know if we were to have another COVID, Jolly will take his marching orders from
the DNC. No thanks.— Just Mindy 🐊 (@just_mindy) October 24, 2026
Then comes the interesting admission.
Donalds wasn’t even Mindy’s preferred candidate.
She acknowledges being dissatisfied with the Republican primary field and says Donalds’ refusal to debate came across to her as arrogant and dismissive.
That’s not exactly a glowing character reference.
Yet she also recognizes the campaign calculation: A candidate leading the primary had little obvious incentive to risk a damaging debate performance.
The irony is that debate avoidance has become an issue on both sides of the general-election contest.
Florida is headed toward its first gubernatorial election in approximately 50 years without a debate after the Donalds and Jolly campaigns failed to agree on an appearance. Jolly said in September he would not participate, accusing Donalds of spreading falsehoods.
So voters hoping to see the two candidates go toe-to-toe may have to settle for campaign commercials and dueling news interviews.
But the deeper dispute involves education.
Mindy argues that a Jolly administration could substantially change the school-choice system expanded under Republican governors, especially DeSantis.
You’re not a conservative if you vote for Jolly. You may be mad or pitching a hissy fit, and you are certainly cutting off your own nose to spite your face. If you’re a conservative, you don’t go out of your way to vote for somebody who believes in things that are completely opposite to conservative ideals. That makes no sense.
If you believe that there are people scamming the school choice system, they are checks and balances in place for that. The solution is not to rob hundreds of thousands of children from their school of choice because you have a personal gripe with Byron.
Furthermore, if you want to speak about groups who have absolutely fleeced the taxpayer of education dollars for DECADES, that would be the teacher’s union. That’s who you are putting back in charge with David Jolly.
— Just Mindy 🐊 (@just_mindy) October 24, 2026
Donalds advocates broad parental access to taxpayer-supported educational alternatives, while Jolly proposes additional oversight and standards for private schools receiving public funding.
Jolly has said he would preserve school choice while reforming the current program. His critics argue that the additional conditions could discourage private-school participation or limit families’ options.
It’s a genuine policy disagreement, with consequences extending far beyond a campaign slogan.
And then there’s the DeSantis factor.
Despite a history of tension between the governor and Donalds, DeSantis publicly endorsed the Republican nominee at a Tampa party event on September 2.
That’s noteworthy because the two men haven’t always been on the same page.
Donalds criticized a controversial passage in Florida’s Black history education standards in 2023, prompting a sharp response from DeSantis’ political allies. The governor later questioned Donalds’ contribution to the state’s Republican successes.
But by September, they were appearing together as part of the Republican statewide ticket.
Mindy considers that endorsement decisive, declaring in her column that if DeSantis tells her to jump, she’ll ask how high.
That is certainly a more enthusiastic endorsement of DeSantis than her earlier description of Donalds.
Meanwhile, Jolly has built his campaign around a different argument. The former Republican says Florida needs a change in direction, emphasizing housing affordability, insurance costs, education funding, and concerns about the concentration of executive power.
He has also sought support from voters who are dissatisfied with the Republican Party’s direction under Donald Trump.
Donalds, backed by Trump and DeSantis, has emphasized continuity with the current administration’s policies, particularly on school choice, taxes, public safety and immigration.
.@ByronDonalds: “My mission is to keep the standards alive and well that Governor DeSantis put into place. We’re going to continue to be the best state in America.” https://t.co/KMK9LyA9uY
— Byron War Room (@ByronWarRoom) October 23, 2026
All of which makes the argument among conservative voters more complicated than a simple personality contest.
For those dissatisfied with Donalds, the question is whether their objections to the candidate outweigh their policy differences with Jolly.
For Mindy, the answer is already settled. She argues that conservative voters should prioritize the direction of Florida’s government over their disappointment with the Republican nominee.
DBS WIRE SOURCES (I’ve got all day).
- Twitchy — Just Mindy questions the proposed Donalds protest vote
- WUSF — DeSantis endorses Donalds despite their political disagreements
- Tampa Bay Times — Key policy differences between Donalds and Jolly
- PolitiFact — Examining candidates’ statements and Florida’s missing gubernatorial debate
- Florida Politics — School-choice organizations weigh in on the governor’s race
