I waited before speaking about what happened in Minnesota.
Not because I lacked outrage.
Not because I lacked words.
But because moments involving death, state power and the Constitution demand reflection. They demand moral judgment. They demand that we put country before party and choose the right side of history.
We know what we saw. In Minneapolis, federal immigration agents murdered Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen. Videos and eyewitnesses raise serious questions about how and why this happened — and why constitutional rights appear to have been disregarded in the process.
This was not about public safety.
This was not about border security.
This was not about law enforcement.
This was about the public display of cruelty.
For more than a decade, too many Republican leaders have placed loyalty to Donald Trump above loyalty to the Constitution. Power over principle. Politics over law. In Minnesota, that rot surfaced in its most brutal form.
Let’s be honest about what this represents: militarized force, loss of life, outrage from communities and bipartisan calls for a transparent investigation. This is not a “Washington debate.” It is a reflection of unchecked power corroding our republic’s most fundamental guarantees.
The hypocrisy should trouble all of us. Politicians who have staked their Republican careers on defending the Second Amendment now equivocate, and refuse to extend that right to those who are politically on the other side.
That’s not principle. That’s performance.
And this is not “backing the blue.”
Backing the blue means condemning violence against law enforcement officers who are upholding their oaths and insisting everyone — including law enforcement officers — obey the rule of law.
In Florida, every major Republican candidate for governor from Byron Donalds to Jay Collins has supported Donald Trump’s position on the events in Minnesota. Not one has said cruelty is not conservatism.
They did not back the rule of law.
They did not back the Constitution.
They backed Trump.
That is why Minnesota matters in this Florida governor’s race.
Because what happened in Minnesota did not begin there. It began with a decade of weak, fearful leadership that prioritized fealty over fidelity to the Constitution.
Ten years of excusing the inexcusable. Normalizing the unthinkable. Abandoning the principle that in America, no one — not even a president — stands above the Constitution.
And look where it has led us.
A nation divided, with neighbors feeling unsafe in their own streets. America, once admired for its values and strength, now mocked for its chaos and perceived weakness.
There is rot in the soul of this country.
But rot is not destiny.
Florida now faces a choice.
This election is not simply about affordability, taxes, insurance, or growth. It is also about whether we will continue with blind allegiance — or reclaim the idea that the Constitution comes first.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and today’s Florida Republican Party have followed this path: elevating grievance over governance, punishment over problem-solving and loyalty to Trump over loyalty to the Constitution.
From politicizing law enforcement, to targeting communities, to using state power as a weapon rather than a trust, Florida has become a testing ground for this style of government. Minnesota shows where that can lead. This governor’s race is not just about changing leaders. It is about changing direction before the damage becomes permanent.
To my Republican friends: I am not asking you to renounce your past. I am asking you to consider our future. To independents: your voice matters more than ever. To Democrats: we must build a coalition of principle, not ideology.
The tragedy in Minnesota must not be just a headline.
It must be a charge.
To reject cruelty as policy.
To defend the rule of law.
To listen to the better angels of our nature.
Minnesota matters here in Florida.
Because Florida will help decide what kind of country we become next.
David Jolly is a former United States congressman from St. Petersburg and a Democratic candidate for governor of Florida.