Vice President JD Vance repeatedly confronted hecklers during a campaign rally in Florida on Thursday as he urged Republican voters to turn out for Sen. Ashley Moody and gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds in the final weeks before the midterm elections.
Vance traveled to Lakeland for the rally at Lakeland Linder International Airport, where thousands of supporters packed an aircraft hangar to hear from some of Florida’s most prominent Republicans. Moody, who is seeking election to a full Senate term, traveled from Washington aboard Air Force Two with Vance. Donalds, a Republican congressman representing Florida’s 19th District, greeted the vice president on the tarmac before joining him at the rally.
Vance’s roughly 30-minute speech was interrupted several times by protesters inside the venue. One man began shouting while Vance was discussing Moody’s record. “We got a clown over here, ladies and gentlemen,” Vance said as the crowd responded with chants of “USA.”
Vance then accused the protester of staging the interruption for attention after noticing that he appeared to be recording the encounter. “You always have to laugh at these protesters because that guy, you know, he pretends like he just broke out into an emotional protest, but he made sure to bring a cell phone at the end of a pole,” Vance said.
“Ladies and gentlemen, that guy was nothing more — as we know this is not a representative voter from the state of Florida — that guy is a Democrat plant.”
Vance getting heckled in Florida
Vance: We got a clown over here. That guy is Democrat plant. Well, we kicked him out, just like we're going to kick out the rest of the Democrats pic.twitter.com/liMsyZV3LU
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 1, 2026
As the man was removed from the hangar, Vance turned the interruption into a campaign message. “Well, we kicked him out just like we’re gonna kick out the rest of the Democrats,” Vance said.
BASED Florida cop drops Democrat heckler to the ground at @JDVance rally before arresting him ?? pic.twitter.com/YiRxuyMeXY
— Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) October 1, 2026
Another interruption occurred while Vance was praising Donalds, who is running against Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly. A woman shouted from the audience before being drowned out by boos.
For a second time, Vance gets heckled in Florida
“Now what what that woman is yelling is that she wants left wing bureaucrats in control of your schools” pic.twitter.com/cNPKPvT8T8
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 1, 2026
Vance again responded from the stage, this time using the interruption to contrast Republican and Democratic positions on education. “What that woman is yelling is that she wants left-wing bureaucrats in control of your school,” Vance said, before arguing that Donalds believes parents should have greater control over their children’s education.
Vance praised Moody as a strong ally of the Trump administration and urged voters to send her back to Washington. Moody was appointed to the Senate in January 2025 by Gov. Ron DeSantis after Marco Rubio resigned his seat to become Trump’s secretary of state. She is now seeking voter approval to serve the remainder of Rubio’s term. Moody faces Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon in November.
Donalds, meanwhile, is running to succeed the term-limited DeSantis as governor. The four-term congressman faces Jolly, a former Republican congressman who left the GOP and later became a Democrat.
Vance targeted both Democratic candidates during his remarks. He criticized Nixon over her identification as a democratic socialist and attacked Jolly over his political evolution from Republican congressman to Democratic gubernatorial nominee.
“When Angie Nixon calls herself a socialist, I think the right response is to say, ‘Then get the hell out of here. You don’t belong in America,’” Vance said.
The rally also featured Republican Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Scott Franklin, along with several GOP congressional candidates.
Donalds focused heavily on affordability, promising to address Florida’s property insurance costs and supporting a proposed property-tax reduction. Vance promoted the Trump administration’s record on taxes, immigration and crime while repeatedly emphasizing turnout.
“This November 3rd, I want you to send a message, send a message to the media, send a message to the Democrats,” Vance told the crowd.
