LAKELAND, Fla — Vice President JD Vance is in Lakeland Thursday to rally support for Republican candidates on the midterm ballot, with exactly 33 days until the November 3 election.
The visit raises a question: why Lakeland, and why Florida?
Polk County is a county President Donald Trump carried by 20 points, making it a reliably Republican area. The most straightforward answer, according to analysts, is fundraising. A visit from a sitting president or vice president during election season typically delivers a significant financial boost to candidates and the party.
Vance is not alone in using this playbook. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Vice President Mike Pence both campaigned during the 2022 and 2018 midterm cycles as well.
The biggest statewide race on the ballot is for the governor's mansion, where Republican Byron Donalds faces Democrat David Jolly. An average of polls on RealClearPolling shows Donalds up around 6 points — far from the landslide margin Governor Ron DeSantis won by in 2022.
Political analyst Dr. Susan MacManus cautioned against reading too much into the current numbers.
"We're gonna see whether it's really a tight race or whether the polls were off like they were in some other places and that will help us in the future get away from everything as a poll," MacManus said.
The midterm dynamic itself adds pressure on Republicans. As one analyst noted over the weekend, the party in power historically faces headwinds.
"This is going to be a tough race, Republicans are in a tough spot. They were always going to be in a tough spot. It's a midterm election. They're the party in power," said Ryan Gorman, host of The Ryan Gorman Show.
"There has been three times in history has the out party like the Democrats are right now to a newly elected president, have they not lost a lot of seats in Congress?" Dr. MacManus said.
Thursday's event will also be one of the first major campaign appearances since news broke last week that Jolly will not agree to debate Donalds, a development that is expected to come up during Vance's remarks.
Doors open at 9:30 a.m.; attendance requires online registration. A protest is also scheduled for 10 a.m., with both sides of the midterm debate expected to make their voices heard.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Bradenton community responds after 20-year-old volleyball star dies from disease that affects 2 in a million
The 20-year-old IMG Academy volleyball star and Under Armour All-American died Sept. 16 after a three-month battle with the rare blood disorder — even though doctors had found her a 100% bone marrow match, her mother, Tanya Mack tells Tampa Bay 28 reporter Haley Zarcone.
