A surprise mention of Gwen Graham as Democratic candidate for governor David Jolly’s would-be running mate surfaced at a Tallahassee church during Sunday service, even as Jolly’s campaign remains silent on any decision.
The Rev. Dr. R.B. Holmes, pastor of the historic Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, introduced Graham – daughter of the late Democratic Florida Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and a former Tallahassee congresswoman.
She attended with husband Steve Hurm. Next to her sat Gayle Andrews, Jolly’s senior campaign advisor.
“Gwen Graham will be selected by David Jolly this week as his running mate and lieutenant governor,” Holmes said in a video of the June 7 service that was posted online. Graham presses both hands together and turns around, appearing to acknowledge applause from the pews.
“Well, congratulations. I wouldn’t have done it, but you did it,” added Holmes, the Jolly campaign’s “faith leadership chair,” praising Graham for her courage to run again.
Graham also ran for Florida governor in 2018 but lost the Democratic primary to then-Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who went on to lose to current GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Graham, 63, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When contacted, the Jolly campaign replied with a statement from Mark Riddle, another senior advisor to the campaign: “We don’t have anything to announce at this time.”
The campaign had separately announced a South Florida rally on June 11, taking place in the Graham Center Ballroom at Florida International University in Miami. It made no mention of Graham.
Jolly, a 53-year-old former Republican and Pinellas County congressman, is the leading Democrat running for governor going into this week’s candidate qualifying period.
Jerry Demings, the Orange County mayor who also was running for the Democratic nomination, on June 5 said he was suspending his campaign after receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis.
“We want to remember and pray for our good friend Jerry Demings,” Holmes said about him. “We want to make sure we remember Mayor Demings in our prayers. We’ve had a great working relationship over the years.”
After years of distancing himself from the Republican Party over issues including Donald Trump’s leadership and the party’s direction, Jolly formally joined the Democratic Party, saying his views had become more aligned with Democrats than Republicans.
Similarly, Holmes once was noted for being a prominent Black Republican; he gave the benediction at DeSantis’ first inauguration in 2019. He since has switched to no-party-affiliation after becoming disillusioned with the governor’s policies, among other things.
“Let me just say this to you all: Vote your conscience, but we got to find a way to break this curse across the state of Florida,” he said in the video.
“… We have to win and we have to vote. I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, but you know who I’m voting for … Amen. We got to win. We cannot sit this one out.”
This is a developing news story. Check back later for more.
Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida Capital Bureau. Reach him at jrosica@tallahassee.com and follow him on X.com: @JimRosicaFL.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gwen Graham named as David Jolly’s running mate by Tallahassee pastor
Reporting by Jim Rosica, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jim Rosica, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
