- Larry Atkins argues that Joe Scarborough — the Pensacola-area native who represented Northwest Florida in Congress from 1995 to 2001 — is the closest thing the Democrats have to a “Goldilocks” candidate heading into the next presidential race.
The Case For Joe
Atkins’ argument is straightforward: the Democrats lost in 2024, and they need to win swing states. A generic moderate Democrat, according to an Emerson College poll released last December, would beat a MAGA Republican candidate 47% to 38%. The challenge is finding a real candidate who actually fits that mold. Atkins believes Scarborough does.
Scarborough served on the Judiciary, Armed Services, and Oversight committees during his six years in Congress, giving him credibility on national security and government operations that few media personalities can claim. He left Congress in 2001, transitioned to television, and eventually built one of cable news’ most recognizable morning franchises with “Morning Joe” on MSNBC.
- Scarborough officially left the Republican Party in 2017 to become an independent—the same status held by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who still managed to generate enormous Democratic energy in his 2020 presidential bid. That independent label, Atkins argues, could be a feature rather than a bug, positioning Scarborough to appeal to moderate voters who abandoned the Democratic Party in 2024.
Working Class Credibility
For Northwest Florida residents, there’s an added layer to this story. Scarborough wasn’t some carpetbagger who represented the Panhandle. He grew up here, graduated from Pensacola Catholic, practiced law, and was shaped by this region’s conservative political culture,. He won election by turning a blue district into one of the reddest corridors in the country.
- That background, Atkins contends, gives him a credibility with working-class and moderate voters that other Democrats simply don’t have.
The piece takes direct aim at progressives who insist the party needs to move left to motivate its base. Atkins argues the opposite that after 2024, liberal Democrats are more likely to hold their noses and vote for a moderate than to stay home, particularly with the prospect of a JD Vance presidency on the horizon.
Is it a long shot?
Absolutely. Current Democratic primary polling has California Gov. Gavin Newsom leading the field at 36%, with Pete Buttigieg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Kamala Harris well behind. Scarborough doesn’t even register in those numbers yet.
- But Atkins makes a point worth considering: national polls at this stage are meaningless. What matters is finding a candidate who can win Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and the other states that decide presidential elections.
Morning Joe from Pensacola. There are worse ideas.