LBK Democratic Club kicks off season with governor candidate Jolly

It was a packed house at the Longboat Key Democratic Club’s first meeting.

More than 200 attended the club’s kickoff event at Sarasota Yacht Club on Tuesday, Nov. 4 featuring guest speaker David Jolly, a democratic candidate for Florida Governor.

“It was surprising because it really wasn’t season. A lot of people haven’t returned back to the island yet,” said club president Lucie Lapovsky. “Usually our November program we have 80 or so people. But we were sold out.”

Image courtesy of Longboat Key Democratic Club

The event was the kick-off to the club’s “America at the Crossroads” luncheon series. David Hogg, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, co-founded March For Our Lives, a political organization advocating for policies to reduce gun violence. 

He did serve as the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, resigning shortly after amid internal DNC disagreements. Hogg founded Leaders We Deserve which advocates for young progressives to enter the political sphere and challenge established candidates.

Another key speaker will be Martin Baron, former executive editor of the Boston Globe and Washington Post. Baron led the Globe newsroom that implicated Catholic church clergy in the sexual abuse of children for decades.

“Martin Baron will be great.” Lapovsky said. “We think he will have a lot of insightful things to say regarding the press today. How we hear very different things based on the news they receive. We think that topic will have a broad appeal.”

Despite being a Republican stronghold, Longboat Key has plenty of people involved with the Democratic club, Lapovsky said. Appealing to moderates and independents and shying away from divisiveness is important for attendance. Lapovsky said it’s challenging to organize a democratic club in the current political climate.

“In this area, in order for Democrats to win we need to appeal to non-party affiliates and moderate Republicans,” she said. “So, we need to balance the line of taking an anti-Trump stance, which we have not been doing, but instead focusing on the positive aspects of the Democrat platform.”