Florida abandoned runoffs for state-level primary elections in 2002, but the result means that some candidates advance for offices as high as governor despite not earning 50% support even from their own party.
Below is a transcript from the Florida Daily Show episode with hosts Ed Dean and Lindsay Randall. They were joined by NewSouthPolitics.com editor Matt O’Hern.
HOST: How do you like this one? I posted it on Facebook: “Women’s sports is not a retirement plan for failed male athletes.”
Here’s another one before we talk about Byron Donalds and the governor’s race: “Macro patience and micro urgency.” Interesting.
Now, Byron Donalds recently made some news. I have to tell you, there has been a complete mess within the Republican Party. It may not hurt the party, but it could.
Let’s rewind to June. Paul Renner, Jay Collins and James Fishback—especially Renner and Collins—were complaining that Byron Donalds wasn’t going to participate in a debate.
I thought Donalds should have debated, but I understand why he didn’t. I completely understand it.
The Republican Party of Florida is deeply involved with Donalds and his campaign. I’m sorry, but I wish it weren’t that way. That’s why I don’t like endorsements from the state Republican Party, local Republican organizations or Democratic organizations. Let the political marketplace decide.
Endorsements like these divide groups, and I’m not interested in dividing them.
The party chairman, Evan Power, is someone I’ve met several times. I have no problem with him personally. Every time I see him, we’re cordial.
But Evan made the excuse that nobody was interested in hosting a gubernatorial debate in Florida. He said that was why the party didn’t hold one, which is complete nonsense.
MATT: Right.
HOST: Everybody wanted to host it.
Then the party created all these rules. I spoke with state committee members about them and considered writing a story. At first, I thought it was low-hanging fruit.
But they told me, “We didn’t vote on any of this, so it isn’t technically or legally binding.”
Then the Republican Party of Florida held its Sunshine Summit, which, by the way, was reportedly a complete bust. Friends of mine attended and said hardly anybody was there.
I used to headline those events and take my radio show there. I don’t do it anymore because they’re too cheap. If they want talent, they have to pay for it. But I enjoyed attending in the past.
You also don’t schedule an event like that the week before the Fourth of July. You hold it in the middle of June or at another time.
MATT: Right.
HOST: To satisfy the Republican base attending the summit, Evan Power announced that media outlets would moderate congressional debates.
They selected three journalists. I don’t have a personal problem with any of them. I know some of them and have gotten along with them, so I don’t think I need to name them all, do I, Matt?
MATT: No.
HOST: One was from Axios, another was from Florida Politics and the third runs a smaller outlet. I’m not criticizing his business model, but he doesn’t have our audience.
I was sitting there thinking, “Will the real Republican please stand up?”
These were not exactly the biggest Trump or DeSantis supporters in the media.
Matt or Lindsey could have helped moderate. I couldn’t attend, but someone from our organization could have participated.
Instead, the Republican Party of Florida invited Democrats and liberal journalists to moderate its debates. At the very least, it could have selected one of our smaller conservative competitors.
Then it gets even better.
Donalds didn’t want to participate in a Republican primary debate. But a couple of days ago, he came out and called for a debate with David Jolly.
MATT: Jolly is running for governor, not Congress.
HOST: Right, thank you.
First of all, I think Donalds will probably win the primary, but he hasn’t won it yet. Calling for a debate with Jolly before securing the Republican nomination was a mistake.
Then Evan Power said the Republican Party agreed that the debate needed to happen. In other words, the party has effectively given its full endorsement to Donalds.
MATT: This is why I’ve lost so much respect for both the national and state Republican parties.
Everyone is so afraid of angering Trump—or even slightly annoying him—that they all fall into line.
As a result, Republican candidates aren’t vetted the way they should be. That’s how Georgia ended up with Herschel Walker, who was a terrible and unqualified candidate.
I’m not saying Donalds is as bad as Walker, but 90 percent of the people who support Donalds probably couldn’t name a single thing he has passed. All they know is that Trump endorsed him, so he must be their guy.
Until Florida has runoffs in statewide primaries, we’re not going to get the best candidates possible. Right now, a candidate can win with a plurality even when most Republican voters supported somebody else.
HOST: Why don’t we move the primary to the spring, like Jacksonville and some South Florida cities do with their elections?
Jacksonville holds its elections around May. Why not hold the statewide primaries in April or May and leave enough time for a runoff in August?
MATT: They don’t want to do that because the current system allows establishment power politics to continue operating the way it always has in Florida.
HOST: There’s no incentive to change it.
MATT: Right. The only incentive would come from voters pushing for reform. But too many people are content with the current system because they don’t recognize its flaws.
Think about the way this race has been structured. What has Donalds even had to campaign on? Nothing. He’s simply relying on Trump’s endorsement.
The Republican Party may nominate someone who hasn’t been seriously vetted by independent voters. Then David Jolly could stand on a debate stage and attack Donalds over allegations involving financial misconduct and other controversies.
I’m not saying Donalds is guilty of every accusation, but nobody has thoroughly challenged him until now. For Republicans, it may be too little, too late.
HOST: This isn’t an anti-Byron rant.
MATT: No. In some ways, we’re doing him a favor. He needs to be prepared to answer these questions when he debates Jolly.
HOST: Lindsey, I’m a big fan of Paul Renner. I get along with him, and I like Jay Collins a lot as well.
But instead of trying to get booked on Fox News, these candidates should have appeared regularly on talk radio, which reaches the Republican base.
A lot of liberals listen to my show, too, but talk radio remains central to the Republican Party in Florida.
They should have run advertisements and appeared on programs constantly. Instead of only telling voters about their experience, they should have explained the differences between themselves and Donalds.
Again, I’m not anti-Byron. But I’ve shown on my program that, in 10 or 15 seconds, I can explain several differences.
Set aside the bank-fraud allegations and the marijuana issue. Donalds differed with Gov. Ron DeSantis and agreed with Kamala Harris on aspects of critical race theory. He also highlighted his involvement with the NAACP following George Floyd’s death.
MATT: There are also the stock trades.
HOST: Yes, the stock trades, where he reportedly made a significant amount of money.
There was also Amendment 4. He has supported major government spending in Congress. He also took credit for passing universal school choice even though he was no longer in the Florida Legislature when it passed.
Lindsey, I don’t want to put you or Matt in an awkward position. But I could also explain areas where I disagree with Jay Collins.
I may have one or two disagreements with Renner, including the Parkland legislation and gun-control provisions. I also have questions about insurance reforms that haven’t significantly lowered premiums.
These are the distinctions the candidates should have been making.
MATT: Renner should have been saying everything you’re saying three months ago.
HOST: But they were too hesitant.
Go ahead, Lindsey.
LINDSEY: You’re both completely right. I think it may be too late now.
When everything is boiled down, we essentially have a uniparty. I’ve said that on the radio before.
Nobody wants to challenge Trump because they know he’ll try to annihilate anyone who goes against him.
We don’t have many people in the Republican Party who are willing to stand up and engage in a serious debate. Debate is healthy in a representative republic.
The way this race has unfolded has taken the wind out of many people’s sails. Until today, I had not seen a single Byron Donalds campaign sign.
HOST: I saw my first one today in one of the wealthiest ZIP codes in Florida. I texted Ed about it.
LINDSEY: Donalds has so much money.
I don’t know exactly how much Fishback has raised, but Collins and Renner haven’t raised anything close to what Donalds has. Their fundraising is a drop in the bucket by comparison.
With that much money, Donalds’ signs should be everywhere. His campaign should be distributing them throughout the state.
The party is very divided, and I think the general election will be much more difficult than people expect.
Donalds is currently talking about keeping Florida free, essentially riding on the coattails of Gov. DeSantis and the state’s Republican leadership—which includes Collins and Renner. That’s a little ironic.
HOST: Assuming Donalds wins the nomination, do you think DeSantis will campaign for him?
LINDSEY: No.
MATT: I don’t think so.
LINDSEY: I think DeSantis will sit this one out. I don’t know what his political future holds, but I don’t think he’ll campaign for Donalds.
HOST: I think he’s still upset with Renner. Didn’t Renner change his endorsement when DeSantis was running for president?
MATT: I’m pretty sure he switched back to Trump. I think that’s one reason DeSantis never endorsed him.
HOST: Whatever the case, I don’t think DeSantis would even need to formally endorse either Collins or Renner to influence the race.
Set Fishback aside for a moment. I don’t trust many of the Republican polling numbers right now because they’re all over the map.
If Collins had dropped out two months ago, I think Renner could have won the primary. If Renner had dropped out, I think Collins could have beaten Donalds.
I don’t think Trump’s endorsement is unbeatable. A DeSantis endorsement may still carry more weight in Florida than Trump’s endorsement.
LINDSEY: Absolutely.
MATT: Agreed.
That would have been the strongest combination: Renner or Collins drops out, endorses the other candidate and DeSantis adds his endorsement.
It still wouldn’t have guaranteed an upset, but it would have made the race much more competitive in a head-to-head contest.
HOST: I like Paul Renner a lot.
Bobby Williams has said something similar, and I’ve heard that Renner privately told people the Lord was calling him to run.
I’m the son of an independent Baptist minister. I’m very respectful of God and the Bible. I’m not someone who jumps over church pews, but I take faith seriously.
I think the word “Christianity” is sometimes devalued in politics.
I understand that Renner may believe the Lord called him to run. He hasn’t personally said that to me, but I’ve heard that he told others.
Bobby Williams has also said God told him to run.
My question is: God told you to run for what purpose?
If you don’t win, does that mean God didn’t call you? Did you misunderstand the message?
I’m cautious about candidates who say, “I go to church,” as if that automatically means I should vote for them.
When candidates say, “God told me to run,” I’ve never completely understood what that means.
MATT: You have to be somewhat selfish to run for office, but nobody wants to admit that’s part of the motivation.
HOST: Do they think voters are suckers?
LINDSEY: Some of it may be connected to age and generational expectations.
HOST: Are you about to say I’m Renner’s age?
LINDSEY: I was going to ask.
HOST: I’m in my 30s. What are you talking about?
After 31, I stopped telling people my age. Go ahead, Lindsey.
I’m just saying that we’re all churchgoing people. Matt knows my background.
I don’t like politicians showing up at someone’s church and pretending to be part of the congregation just to win votes. People fall for that, and I don’t like it.
LINDSEY: I don’t like it either.
HOST: Renner hasn’t done that, as far as I know. Someone simply told me that he believed he had been called to run. I think Paul is genuine.
I’m not necessarily saying the same thing about Bobby Williams.
But when all these candidates say, “God told me to run,” I have questions.
MATT: Using Christianity as a political prop is gross.
LINDSEY: Yes. It’s embarrassing, shallow and cringeworthy. It makes me want to bathe in hand sanitizer.
We should look at the truth rather than use religion as a campaign tool.
HOST: We used to call it “pimping the church.” Candidates would travel from church to church seeking votes.
Barack Obama received a lot of support that way. I’m not saying I agreed with it, but it can be effective in certain communities.
MATT: It is effective.
LINDSEY: Unfortunately, people fall for it.
God does call people to do things. I believe he has called me to do things in my own life, including starting a school when I had no experience or knowledge. It was one of the craziest things I had ever done.
But claiming God called you to run for political office is a slippery slope. It feels cringeworthy to me.
HOST: People ask why I didn’t go into the ministry. I tell them, “I did. I’m on the radio five days a week, preaching three hours a day.”
MATT: True.
HOST: I need to start taking up a love offering. That’s what I need to do.
MATT: We had a joke at my college that you could draw a line down the middle of the room separating the seminary majors from the journalism majors.
I was definitely not on the seminary side.
But I have tremendous respect for pastors. If someone genuinely believes God called them to run, that’s between them and God.
I’m just saying that we hear the claim so often that it begins to sound like a strategy to get votes.
HOST: It’s like everybody in the South claiming to sell authentic New York pizza.
You’re from Washington state. What do you mean it’s New York pizza?
Everybody is trying to sound legitimate: “I’m a man of God,” or, “This is New York pizza.”
It may not actually be New York pizza. You may genuinely serve God, but I don’t automatically believe God called you to run for office.
The constant suggestion that Trump is anointed or is “God’s man” also feels somewhat sacrilegious to me. That isn’t necessarily a criticism of Trump. It’s a criticism of the way some people talk about him.
Do you think Donalds beats Jolly?
MATT: I don’t know. The race appears to be within the margin of error.
I know how I would run a campaign against the Democrats, and I know how I would campaign against Republicans.
Property-insurance rates aren’t coming down, and Florida has some of the highest property-tax burdens it has ever seen. Those two issues alone could seriously damage Republicans.
MATT: Who do you think would perform better against Jolly: Donalds or Renner?He [Donalds] would be the worst choice.
HOST: I love the military, but military service used to carry more political weight than it does today.
MATT: Renner and Collins both have military experience.
HOST: I know, and I respect that. But candidates have to speak to voters who aren’t closely following those credentials.
I understand the significance of military experience, but many people can’t directly relate to it. Candidates need to connect their experience to voters’ daily lives.
That’s all I’m saying. It isn’t meant as a criticism.
This was a good discussion. We’ll do it again.
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