By Michael Moline | Editor in Chief
“He’s voted on at least two occasions on President Trump’s tariffs and global trade war that are only increasing the cost of living. Same thing with the illegal and unauthorized war in Iran that is disrupting supply chains. You see that at the gas station every time you go to full your tank. His votes to sustain and defend President Trump’s war in Iran are driving up costs.” — Greg Wilson, Republicans for Jolly, of Byron Donalds
Former Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Bobby Williams and David Jolly in St. Petersburg’s Williams Park on Sept. 14, 2026. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)
They include Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse and Greg Wilson, a former deputy assistant Treasury secretary. They chiefly cite Byron Donalds’ acquiescence in Donald Trump’s tariffs and the war on Iran — but also the need for moderating voice in Tallahassee. “We have single-party rule,” Kruse said. “There’s no checks and balance. There’s no friction in Tallahassee. Everyone’s just holding hands and getting along and doing what they want to do.”
Some see no problems with the state’s increasing control over curricula and antipathy to diversity, arguing progressive voices in academe had become overweening. Others describe fear that some offhand comment in class might subject them to backlash including doxing. “I am always worried that I am being recorded or that my lectures, course materials, will be challenged by students or administrators. (I teach literature and composition). I haven’t changed what I teach, but I worry about it. To me, each student is a potential spy,” a state college professor wrote.
COMMENTARY
Florida Republicans are whistling past the graveyard this election year, columnist Barrington Salmon writes. He points to their blindness to the political implications of widespread anxiety about people’s economic prospects. He acknowledges the GOP’s 1.5 million advantage in voter registration, but points to discontent among Democrats, independents, and even Republicans. “As we roll toward November, questions demanding answers are on many Floridians’ lips: After 30 years of absolute Republican rule, why has so little been fixed? Why are so many Floridians still on the outside looking in? Why should Republicans continue in power?” he writes.
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