Politics
NewsOnScale Staff
October 7, 2026
Ben Braver, a Democrat running for Florida House District 65 and a University of South Florida student, was removed and arrested on October 1 after heckling Vice President JD Vance at a campaign rally in Lakeland, Florida.
The rally was held at the Skyline Hangar at Lakeland Linder International Airport on the Sun 'n Fun grounds, in support of Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds and other Republican candidates.
Braver interrupted Vance's speech, sarcastically thanking him for high gas prices, the war in Iran, and what he described as the Hope Florida scandal involving former Attorney General Ashley Moody.
Vance called Braver a "clown" and a "Democrat plant" as he was removed.
Braver was arrested following the incident. The charges have not been confirmed in available reporting.
Braver is a declared candidate for Florida House District 65, making him a declared political candidate who was physically removed from a public campaign rally after exercising political speech.
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