Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly criticized six GOP governors on Tuesday for their recent decision to send National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to assist in the Trump administration's crackdown on crime in the nation's capital.
"No Governor should deploy their state's National Guard to support Trump's armed patrols of American cities," Jolly said. "Instead, let's attack crime by demanding the GOP Congress restore Trump's funding cuts for law enforcement. Time to fight crime, not communities."
According to multiple reports, the six Republican led states were Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Govs. Tate Reeves, Jeff Landry, Henry McMaster, Bill Lee, and Patrick Morrisey run those states, respectively.
As many as 2,200 National Guard soldiers and airmen are currently deployed in D.C., with many beginning to carry weapons under the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as of Friday.
"We are really proud to be a part of defending our nation's capital and ensuring its safe and beautiful, and working with law enforcement," Hegseth said recently in the Oval Office. "The morale of the troops, getting out there in talking to them, they love this mission. They are grateful to be doing it, whether they are D.C. National Guard or other state National Guards."
"It's just common sense to make sure they are armed as well," Hegseth continued. 'They are willing to show they are armed and capable of defending themselves and others if need be in supporting law enforcement, and we're proud to be there."
According to a study by the Rochester Institute of Technology, D.C. had a crime rate of 27.3 per 100,000 people in 2024. While high compared to other U.S. cities over the same period, the district's rate was down 30% year over year.
D.C. has gone nearly two weeks without a homicide since Trump's order. The district went 16 days without a murder in March, before the president's takeover.
Jolly, a Republican-turned Democrat, is looking to become the first Democratic governor in Florida in more than 25 years. Trying to find a lane in a state Trump carried by 13 points, partly over public safety, Jolly has also advocated for investing in state public schools in his gubernatorial bid.
He also outlined an extensive gubernatorial platform to The Floridian earlier this year.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, whom Jolly is looking to replace, has followed Trump's lead on public safety by positioning Florida as law enforcement-friendly, including by awarding recruitment bonuses to cops.
