Republican Congressman David Jolly has represented the 13th District of Florida – mostly the city of St. Petersburg – since he won a special election in 2014 after the death of long-time Congressman Bill Young. Lines have been redrawn so that CD13 now favors Democrats, so Jolly will seek the U.S. Senate seat Marco Rubio is leaving in order to run for President.
Jolly has been known as a Republican moderate. He’s pro-life and strong on gun rights, but early on became one of the first, perhaps the first, Republican member of Congress to support same-sex marriage. “I believe in a form of limited government that protects personal liberty.” He explained, “To me that means that the sanctity of one’s marriage should be defined by their (sic) faith and by their (sic) church, not by their (sic) state.” He hasn’t said whether this standard also applies to polygamists and sheep fanciers.
On the occasion of John Boehner’s stepping down from the Speakership, Jolly once again demonstrated his moderate bona fides. He praised Boehner and took off on those who opposed him, saying, “The honor of John Boehner this morning stands in stark contrast to the idiocy of those members who seek to continually divide us.”
OK, all you idiots out there – you know who you are.
There are other candidates in the race for the Senate seat. Just a guess, but I’d venture that the support for Jolly among conservatives will be less than on a boil by primary time.
