Bill Clinton campaigns in Florida for David Jolly in the governor’s race

By Helena Thorncroft

WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton, a 1968 graduate of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, has opened his 2026 midterm campaigning in Florida, headlining a rally and a fundraiser for Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly in a race against Republican Rep. Byron Donalds.

Clinton appeared Oct. 20 at Koinonia Worship Center in Hollywood, Fla., in what WINK News described as his first campaign appearance of the midterm season. The station reported a crowd of about 500. “I think we ought to give David Jolly a chance,” Clinton told the audience, according to WINK.

Clinton spoke for about 33 minutes, according to a USA TODAY Network report by John Pacenti. He praised Jolly’s running mate, former Rep. Gwen Graham, as “brilliant” and framed the race around costs. “It’s not about woke, it’s about broke,” he said.

Criticism of the administration

Clinton used part of the speech to criticize President Trump. “I’m tired of the way we treat our allies like dirt, and just last week President Trump has finally done what he threatened to do when he ran the first time, which is to abandon Ukraine and embrace Vladimir Putin all over again,” he said, according to the USA TODAY Network. The report said he also criticized the administration’s White House renovations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

The White House has defended the president’s foreign policy as putting American interests first and has said its immigration enforcement is carrying out the law. The Inquisitor has asked the White House to respond to Clinton’s specific remarks.

Money and the race

The Jolly campaign said Clinton also headlined a private fundraiser that raised $3 million, and the Democratic Governors Association has put $1 million behind Jolly, according to the USA TODAY Network report. That report described the contest with Donalds, whom President Trump has endorsed, as close.

Jolly, a former Republican congressman from the Tampa Bay area, is running as a Democrat. Donalds, who represents a Southwest Florida district, is the Republican nominee. Graham, Jolly’s running mate, is a former congresswoman from the Tallahassee area and the daughter of the late Bob Graham, Florida’s former governor and U.S. senator.

Clinton has history in the state: he carried Florida in his 1996 re-election, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to win it since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Republicans have won every statewide race for governor since 1998.

Another Hoya on the trail

Clinton has also raised money for House Democrats in Florida. He and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries headlined a New York fundraiser for Rep. Jared Moskowitz, MS NOW reported. Jeffries earned a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown in 1994, according to his House biography and the House historian.

Clinton is among the most prominent alumni listed by the Walsh School of Foreign Service. Florida’s general election is Nov. 3.

The Inquisitor is seeking comment from the White House, the Jolly and Donalds campaigns, the Clinton Foundation’s press office and the Democratic Governors Association. This story will be updated with any response.

Photo: Bill Clinton official portrait (cropped). Bob McNeely, The White House, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.