David Jolly, best known for spending one term in Congress as a Republican, became the first Democrat to announce a bid for Florida governor ahead of the 2026 elections.
An avid critic of President Donald Trump, Jolly represented Florida’s 13th Congressional District as a Republican from 2014 to 2017 before becoming an independent and later registering as a Democrat this year. He was long expected to make a gubernatorial bid and had launched a political committee in April ahead of the anticipated announcement.
“Let’s end the politics of division and return Florida to voters who simply want an economy that works, the best education system in the world, safe communities, and a government that stays out of their doctors’ offices and family decisions,” Jolly said as he announced his campaign Thursday.
“This is a different type of issues-driven, results-focused campaign, and it will be driven not by anger and division but by optimism and solutions,” he continued. “We are building a new coalition of Floridians who deeply care about their state and are desperate for real answers to real problems that are putting our quality of life at risk.”
Jolly’s campaign centers around promises to expand Medicaid to low-income Floridians if elected as governor, relax strict illegal immigration policies spurred by the DeSantis administration, tackle an “affordability crisis,” increase investments in education, and roll back what he has characterized as the intolerant policies leveled by state Republicans that reacted to “wokeness.”
“The implicit biases behind the DeSantis administration are ugly, they’re gross … The ‘Free State of Florida’ is a lie,” Jolly told the Miami Herald this week. “We’ve got a shot to change this.”
The former Tampa-area congressman faces a difficult path ahead as he seeks to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in a state that has swung solidly red in recent years, a trend that was apparent when Trump swept Florida in November.
Jolly also faces a potentially crowded field ahead of the general election. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) has already thrown his hat in the ring on the Republican side of the aisle, while multiple other candidates, including Casey DeSantis, are rumored to be running as well.
As he seeks to gain momentum ahead of the 2026 election, Jolly is crisscrossing the state holding town halls, telling Politico he would forego a formal gubernatorial campaign kickoff event in favor of continuing the listening tour.
“They’re making me a stronger, smarter advocate for change, and we’re just going to keep doing that,” he said. “This is a campaign that’s going to look and feel different on the inside and out.”
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Jolly believes he has a chance to win the election by winning over enough independent voters and disillusioned Republicans to secure a victory.
“There are not enough Democratic votes to win the governorship,” he said. “We need a campaign, a candidate, and a party that can win hearts and minds back … And that’s our job.”
