David Jolly
Recent media appearances
Top articles
FOX 13 Tampa BayFlorida governor's race: How David Jolly and Byron Donalds took very different paths to the topNov 2, 2026- WLRNDemocrat David Jolly pitches trust and pragmatism in governor's raceOct 12, 2026
WUSF via WGCUFlorida could go without debates in any general election statewide political raceSep 22, 2026
WLRNDavid Jolly wins Democratic nomination for governor, will face Republican Byron DonaldsAug 18, 2026
Associated Press via WLRNMission improbable: A onetime Republican is trying to prove Democrats can win in FloridaAug 13, 2026
Overview
David Jolly is a former Republican U.S. representative who served the Tampa Bay area from 2014 to 2017 after winning a 2014 special election. He earlier worked as general counsel and a senior aide to Congressman Bill Young and later as a lobbyist. wlrn.org fox13news.com
Jolly left the Republican Party in 2018, was an independent for several years, and registered as a Democrat in 2025 before entering the governor's race. He was the Democratic nominee for governor of Florida in 2026 and ran against Republican Byron Donalds in the general election. wlrn.org wlrn.org 2
His running mate was former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, daughter of former Florida governor and U.S. senator Bob Graham. wlrn.org
Platform
- Proposes a statewide catastrophic fund to lower property insurance premiums.davidjolly.com
- Proposes capping utility company profits to reduce monthly electric bills.davidjolly.com
- Proposes down-payment assistance for first-time buyers and no-interest state-backed loans for condo owners facing special assessments.davidjolly.com
- Proposes expanding Medicaid to cover hundreds of thousands of uninsured Floridians.davidjolly.com
- Proposes redirecting Tourist Development Tax revenue toward teacher pay and school infrastructure.davidjolly.com
- Says he would issue a moratorium on hyperscale data center construction on his first day in office.davidjolly.com
- Says he would use executive orders to provide state funding for local government diversity programs.mysuncoast.com