Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds released a new attack ad targeting Democrat David Jolly’s willingness to let “anybody” from the Democrat Party campaign with him. An odd move considering the Democrat is trying to win in a state defined in part by the sanity of its politics.

Because unfortunately for Jolly, “anybody” leaves room for quite a guest list, and one Floridians' are likely to reject. It could include Democrats who want to dismantle and abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Democrats who seek to tear down capitalism, or seize the means of production, Democrats who protest in support of and provide cover to Hamas, others that declare God nonbinary or others still who support gender-transition surgeries for minors. Not exactly a desired lineup for a state like Florida.

A broad coalition or "Big Tent" something Democrats have embraced to their own disadvantage, is really only an asset if your allies aren't a liability. When running in a state already hostile to your party, “anybody” is not much of a standard. 

For Jolly, that open invitation risks making every controversial ally part of his campaign, and even in friendlier states, a bigger platform for extremism is not necessarily an electoral advantage. Take Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan. Hardly a moderate himself, he nevertheless had to ask progressive darling Hasan Piker to stop trying to help because that “help” was damaging his campaign. When an ally’s support becomes something you need to escape, the bigger-tent strategy may need a second look.

If David Jolly is willing to campaign with just about anybody in the Democrat Party, what does that say about his own standards? What would he be willing to do as Florida’s governor, and whose principles would he be beholden to when it comes time to govern?

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