Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 10.19.26 — Burnin’ today: Early Voting, Trump, Salazar & Rodriguez, Donalds & Jolly, Uthmeier, AI, Rockwell & Boo Bash

The morning scorecard of what's up (or down) in Florida Politics. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Good Monday morning. To commemorate the opening of Early Voting across the state this week, the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee honored Norman Rockwell’s 1944 “America at the Polls” with an updated version for Florida’s 2026 General Election. Norman Rockwell’s 'America at the Polls' gets a Florida election-season encore. Image via Saturday Evening Post. ___ Sunday’s Brunch, our pop-up newsletter about the 2026 Election Cycle and more, posted a 40% open rate, one of the highest for any Florida Politics newsletter this year. Thank you for reading. Next Sunday’s edition comes out Oct. 25, nine days before Election Day and the first Sunday of early voting. Campaigns, send us your plan for that day: where the candidate will be, what events are on the calendar, and who is out knocking doors. Consultants, that includes the races you are running for clients. Email peter@floridapolitics.com by Friday afternoon. ___ The Republican Party of Florida is greeting the start of early voting with a new digital ad that turns David Jolly’s own words about Gov. Ron DeSantis against him. The spot, “David Jolly Would Undo What Ron DeSantis Built,” is cut from Jolly’s years of cable news commentary: “I don’t think Ron DeSantis is the smartest person in the state,” “a uniquely unlikable person on the campaign trail,” and “Ron DeSantis actually lies about his COVID record.” He also said, “I don’t support Ron DeSantis, and I do think Ron DeSantis’ agenda is dangerous,” and accused the Governor of being “determined to run for the White House to represent white America.” The party will run the ad statewide to Republican voters, pairing it with a push to vote early. “Ron DeSantis turned Florida into the free state of America. He stood up to (Dr. Anthony) Fauci, kept Florida open, cut taxes, and fixed our schools and universities, and families from across the country moved here because of it,” RPOF Chair Evan Power said. “David Jolly has spent years attacking every bit of that record on cable news, and now he wants the keys to the Governor’s Mansion so he can undo it. Florida Republicans know what’s at stake. Early voting starts today, and we will turn out to keep Florida free by electing Byron Donalds.” To watch the ad, please click the image below: David Jolly’s past criticism of Ron DeSantis becomes ammunition in a new Republican Party of Florida ad.

Situational awareness   —@Pontifex: I would like to thank all those who have prayed for me in recent days. I wish to express my particular gratitude to the doctors, nurses and all the staff of the Gemelli Hospital. This experience has made me feel particularly close to all those who are living with illness or infirmity. Now that I have overcome this delicate phase, I will gradually resume my activities, always with God’s help and your prayers. Tweet, tweet: Tweet, tweet: —@AshleyMoodyFL: My opponent, a socialist, runs a bookstore called Cafe Resistance, quotes the communist manifesto, and celebrates those that attack police. What you see in France, communists taking to the streets, burning buildings to the ground, and attacking the police, starts like this. Tweet, tweet: —@ESPNInsights: Miami will play a game as the No. 1 team for the first time since first time 2003 BCS National Championship Game. 🙌 This is the first time there has been three different No. 1 teams in a three-week span of a single season since Nov. 2012.

Days until   'Six Kings Slam' on Netflix — 2; Florida TaxWatch Fiscal Accountability Leadership Summit begins — 2; FEC Pre-General Report due — 3; General Election ballot request deadline — 3; Mandatory General early voting begins — 5; Meta’s new political and issue ad freeze begins — 8; General Election — 15; ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ premieres — 18; ‘Wild Horse Nine’ premieres — 18; Florida Automated Vehicles Summit — 23; 'Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol' starring Johnny Depp premieres — 25; 'Paper Tiger' starring Adam Driver premieres — 25; Joe Biden’s memoir, ‘Promise Me, America’ is released — 29; New legislator training sessions — 29; Senate convenes for general organization and selection of officers — 29; ‘Madden’ premieres — 30; ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ premieres — 32; 'Blade Runner 2099' premieres on Prime Video — 37; ‘The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth,’ with Brad Pitt, directed by David Fincher and written by Quentin Tarantino, premieres in IMAX — 37; Committee Week #1 — 42; ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ premieres — 60; ‘Dune: Part 3,’ directed by Denis Villeneuve, premieres — 60; Committee Week #2 — 77; Committee Week #3 — 84; 'Ahsoka' season 2 premieres — 93; College Football Playoff national championship game in Las Vegas — 98; Committee Week #4 — 105; The 2027 Florida State Fair begins — 108; 'Remain,' directed by M. Night Shyamalan, premieres — 109; Grammys — 111; Committee Week #5 — 112; Super Bowl LXI — 118; Committee Week #6 — 119; Opening day of the 2027 Regular Legislative Session — 134; Tampa Mayoral Election — 134; ‘The Thomas Crown Affair,’ directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan premieres — 137; Jacksonville First Election — 141; Oscars — 146; Miami Marlins Opening Day/Home Opener — vs. New York Mets — 157; Tampa Bay Rays Opening Day/Home Opener — vs. Baltimore Orioles — 157; Democratic Mayors Association 2027 annual summit in Miami begins — 177; Jacksonville General Election — 211; 'Star Wars: Starfighter' premieres — 221; ‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’ premieres — 242; Citrus Series — Tampa Bay Rays at Miami Marlins — 270; 'The Bluey Movie' premieres — 291; Citrus Series — Miami Marlins at Tampa Bay Rays — 326; ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ premieres — 424; 2028 South Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary — 460; College Football Playoff national championship game in New Orleans — 462; 2028 Nevada Presidential Primary — 470; 2028 New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary — 477; 2028 New Mexico Democratic Presidential Primary — 484; ‘The Batman Part II’ premieres — 487; 2028 Michigan Democratic Presidential Primary — 491; 2028 Virginia Democratic Presidential Primary — 498; Oscars — 503; 'X-Men' premieres — 564; ‘Miami Vice '85’ reboot premieres — 578; ‘Lilo & Stitch 2’ premieres — 585; 'Days of Thunder' sequel with Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway premieres — 592; ‘Incredibles 3’ premieres — 606; 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Opening Ceremony — 634; 'Ghost Rider' premieres — 648; 2028 U.S. Presidential Election — 750; ‘Black Panther 3’ directed by Ryan Coogler premieres — 788; College Football Playoff national championship game in Tampa — 826; ‘Avatar 4’ premieres — 1,159; ‘Avatar 5’ premieres — 1,887.

Top story   “How Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown gave Florida Democrats a chance” via Daniel Castro of The New Yorker — President Trump’s immigration crackdown is reshaping Miami’s political landscape, creating an opening for Democrats in Florida’s 27th Congressional District. Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez, a former television news anchor, is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar in a majority-Hispanic District Trump carried in 2024. Deportations, economic pressures and growing dissatisfaction among Latino voters have complicated Salazar’s re-election campaign. Eliott Rodriguez challenges María Elvira Salazar amid shifting attitudes toward immigration enforcement in Miami. Salazar initially embraced Trump’s immigration agenda, defending detention conditions at Alligator Alcatraz and avoiding criticism of decisions ending Temporary Protected Status for several immigrant communities. More recently, she released an advertisement warning Trump that immigration enforcement had gone too far, acknowledging concerns among Latino supporters. The shift drew criticism from Trump, who amplified online attacks against Salazar. Rodriguez, meanwhile, reported increased fundraising interest as national political forecasters moved the District into a more competitive category. Rodriguez is concentrating on independent voters, who account for approximately 30% of District registrations. His campaign emphasizes affordability, immigration enforcement and personal connections developed during decades covering Miami news. Immigration activist Arianne Betancourt confronted Salazar over her father’s detention at Alligator Alcatraz. Betancourt disputed the assistance Salazar’s office provided, while the Congresswoman’s staff maintained it had offered help and resolved numerous immigration cases. Despite Democratic enthusiasm, Republicans retain substantial organizational and registration advantages. Latino voters remain divided over immigration, economic policy and cultural issues. The contest illustrates how dissatisfaction with enforcement policies could influence voters without necessarily changing long-standing partisan loyalties. TO SEE MORE SUNBURN CLICK HERE