Former President Bill Clinton made his first public campaign appearance this cycle in Florida to boost David Jolly’s governor bid, a late stop two weeks from Election Day as Republicans still hold the edge.
Clinton, now 80, stood with the Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tuesday night at an interfaith rally at the Koinonia Worship Center in Pembroke Park, also described as Hollywood, Florida. The stop marked his first on-the-trail outing of the cycle for Jolly, a former Republican now running as a Democrat.
Daily Mail reporting captured Clinton addressing his age right away before the crowd.
Clinton said one blessing of his age “is you can say whatever you want.”
"Of course, many people don't care anymore,"
Florida has not elected a Democrat to the governor’s mansion since 1994. Term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is leaving office, and Republican challenger Byron Donalds holds a single-digit lead in recent polls along with a significant fundraising edge.
Jolly has narrowed that gap and cast his effort as one that is defying long odds in the state.
He described the campaign as “defying gravity.”
Earlier this month Jolly sat down with CNN’s Dana Bash and pointed to an opening among voters who once backed Republicans.
He claimed an advantage among “disaffected Republicans,” including “DeSantis voters” and “former MAGA voters who say they just can’t stick with Republicans this cycle.”
Jolly has played up moderate credentials and focused on high prices, rising home insurance costs, and worries over the rapid buildout of data centers. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and former ambassador Rahm Emanuel have thrown support behind the campaign. Hillary Clinton is also expected to stump for Jolly before Election Day.
Bill Clinton’s own recent schedule has kept him visible. He was seen at the Chicago Marathon earlier this month and spoke onstage alongside Hillary Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative 2026 Annual Meeting at the New York Hilton Midtown in September.
That public profile has included high-dollar events, including when Clinton marked his 80th birthday with major fundraising.
Donalds remains ahead by single digits and enjoys the clearer money advantage. Florida’s three-decade run without a Democratic governor frames the late arrival of a former president as a sign of how steep the climb remains.
Jolly’s pitch to peel off DeSantis backers and former MAGA voters is the clearest contrast he offers. Yet the same polls that show a narrowed race still leave the Republican in front with two weeks left.
Clinton’s appearance fits a pattern of the former president staying active on the circuit, including a fundraising tour tied to his 80th birthday.
Separate legal and political fights continue to keep the Clinton name in the national mix, including when Trump raised the prospect of cases involving past presidents.
Even foundation operations have drawn fresh scrutiny in recent coverage of a Clinton Foundation internship listing.
For Florida voters the immediate question is simpler. A former president showed up in the final stretch for a Democrat who once served as a Republican, in a state that has rejected that party for the governor’s office for thirty years, while the Republican nominee still leads.
Late celebrity surrogates do not erase a three-decade drought or a polling lead. Florida voters still get the final word.
