Inside David Jolly's election night watch party in Tampa

Fox - 35 Orlando
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Nov 4, 2026
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Video Summary
AI GeneratedManny Martinez reports live from David Jolly's campaign headquarters at the Tampa Convention Center. The atmosphere shifted to a celebration as early returns showed Jolly leading significantly in Osceola County, a key Latino-heavy area that previously voted for Donald Trump. The campaign is now hoping for strong Democratic and independent turnout to secure victory.
We also want to check in with Fox 35's Manny Martinez,
who is joining us live from the
David Jolly camp, and it looks like they're watching some
of the initial returns coming
in.
How are things looking there, Manny?
Yes, make some noise and clip it up.
They just started to celebrate and cheer
because they are watching the TV where they see that
in Osceola County, David Jolly is up 61% to 31% at this point,
and you'll remember, Garrett,
that I did the story two years ago.
Osceola County is a county that two years ago voted
for Donald Trump, and that was a
huge shift.
It is a heavily Latino county,
and there is a lot of excitement now in this room if it
does hold that David Jolly does carry Osceola County again.
It's a county that the president won two years ago.
That just changed the mood in here in an instant.
I see part of his campaign team here behind the camera.
If we can swing it around, it's kind of tight back here,
but they are clapping, looking at some of these returns
right there in the middle.
And there are people that are now starting
to show themselves here inside this room that
are starting to take a seat here inside the Tampa Convention Center.
We'll swing the camera to the right to give you
a look at the room as well as the number
of reporters that are in here.
There's a DJ in here as well.
It wasn't until about, I don't know, 20 minutes ago,
Garrett, that this started to feel like a watch party.
They were still putting the finishing touches as we were getting
set up here in our media area right around 3.30, 4 o'clock.
And then they started letting people in just before 6.
And a lot of people are still...
Inside the atrium, if you will, of this convention center,
and so they haven't quite yet made
their way into the hall where we are.
There's food out there, there are drinks out there,
but now, Garrett, as I look at this
crowd, is it starting to feel like a party.
So the Jolly campaign needs to rely
on really strong Democratic turnout.
And they also have to rely on a large number
of non-party-affiliated voters turning for
them in big numbers.
They need a big share of those NPAs.
And then they also need a number of Republican voters to vote for them.
I'll go ahead and I'll stand back up here in frame.
And that is something that when we were speaking with Lieutenant
Governor candidate Gwen Graham,
she expressed confidence in the fact that they are able
to attract a large number of Republican voters
because she says it's something that she's
heard on the campaign trail constantly for the past five months.
Ultimately, their messaging has been consistent on housing,
education, healthcare, and no
data centers.
And we'll see, Garrett, how that carries them here on election night.
All right, Fox 35's Manny Martinez.
