David Jolly
Running mate: Gwen Graham (former U.S. Representative)
David Jolly is a former U.S. Representative for Florida's 13th District (Pinellas County), serving 2014-2017 as a Republican. He later left the Republican Party, became an independent and then registered as a Democrat before running for governor. He won the Aug. 18, 2026 Democratic primary with about 61% of the vote. On June 10, 2026 he named Gwen Graham, a former Democratic congresswoman (2015-2017), 2018 gubernatorial candidate and daughter of the late Gov. and Sen. Bob Graham, as his running mate; their House service overlapped in 2015-2017. Gwen Graham (born 1963, Miami Lakes) is an attorney and daughter of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham; she represented Florida's 2nd District (2015-2017), finished second in the 2018 Democratic primary for governor with 31.3%, and served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for legislation and congressional affairs in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2025.
How they got on the ballot: Won Aug 18, 2026 Democratic primary with ~61% (CBS News; Washington Post)
Campaign finance: state and county candidates file with the Florida Division of Elections or the county Supervisor of Elections. Search contributions ↗
Sources last checked 2026-10-06. Report an error ↗
Positions on the major issues
Compare with opponents →Each entry describes what the candidate has said or done, and what they say they will do, in neutral terms with sources. The chip shows how that relates to the statement voters rate in the matching tool.
Taxes & spending Leans disagree· stated position
Jolly says tax relief must be paired with revenue to fund services ('we need the math to work') and has criticized Republican leaders as 'willing to starve critically needed services in the name of tax relief.' His agenda prioritizes new spending on public schools, teacher pay and Medicaid expansion rather than broad tax cuts.
"We need the math to work."
Property taxes Leans disagree· stated position
Jolly said he will vote against Amendment 3, arguing it would cut funding for law enforcement and other local services, and that he would instead target property-tax relief at first-time homebuyers and seniors.
"defund law enforcement along with critical services"
Property insurance Strongly agrees· stated position
At the WLRN Sunshine Economy Summit on Sept. 23, 2026 Jolly proposed a state-backed catastrophe insurance fund that he said would cut premiums by 60% to 70%; PolitiFact reported insurance experts doubt savings of that size and warned of later emergency assessments.
Housing affordability Strongly agrees· stated position
Jolly's affordability plan calls for expanded affordable-housing programs and renter protections, a first-time homebuyer homestead exemption, and no-interest state-backed loans to help condo associations and owners pay special assessments and structural-repair costs; he ties housing costs to property insurance and proposes a state catastrophe fund.
Immigration Strongly disagrees· stated position
In late September 2026 Jolly pledged to close the state-run immigration detention facility in the Panhandle known as the 'Deportation Depot.'
Abortion Strongly agrees· stated position
Jolly says he voted for the 2024 Amendment 4 and would work to enact its language (no restriction on abortion before viability, or when needed to protect the patient's health) into law, replacing the six-week ban. He argues the governor should act on amendments that won more than 50% of the vote.
"I voted for Amendment 4. As governor, I would work to enact Amendment 4 into law."
Guns Strongly agrees· stated position
Jolly's gun platform calls for banning the sale of assault weapons, universal background checks on every transfer, exploring firearm licensing, and preserving and expanding the 2018 post-Parkland red-flag law and 21 purchase age. He says he would test the governor's authority to challenge the court ruling allowing open carry.
"The Parkland gun safety law was bipartisan, it's supported by law enforcement, and it should stay in place."
Health care Strongly agrees· stated position
Jolly proposes expanding Medicaid to cover roughly 266,000 Floridians in the coverage gap and scaling up direct primary care in all 67 counties through community health centers and county clinics; he has also said the state should support ACA tax credits and rural hospitals.
Education & school choice Leans disagree· stated position
Jolly says he would not end Florida's universal voucher program but would means-test it and apply public-school rules to private schools that take state money, including barring tuition increases above the voucher amount and barring schools from turning away students with disabilities. He proposes a 30% public-teacher pay raise funded by tourist-development taxes.
Environment & water Strongly agrees· stated position
Jolly supports Everglades restoration, water-quality improvement and climate-resilience investment, and says he would issue an immediate moratorium on new data centers on day one, citing environmental impact, public health and real-estate effects ('let them sue if they want to').
Growth & development Strongly agrees· stated position
Jolly repeated that he would impose an immediate moratorium on new data centers, citing health concerns, the pace of development and polling showing most Florida voters oppose the facilities.
"This is moving too quickly."
Marijuana Leans agree· stated position
Jolly says he personally voted against the 2024 recreational-marijuana amendment (Amendment 3) but, because it won more than 50% of the vote, he would as governor move toward regulated adult-use legalization; he was the only major candidate in a May 2026 survey to support legalization.
"I think the governor's role is to represent the majority of the state, and the majority of the state asked for it, and I think that we should do it."
Elections & voting Leans agree· stated position
Jolly's platform says direct democracy 'should be easier, not harder,' that the governor should lead efforts to enact voter-approved amendments that clear 50% (he cites the 2018 voting-rights restoration amendment among initiatives Floridians passed), and that the state should support implementation of successful local voter initiatives. No specific statement on mail voting or drop boxes was found.
Gender identity laws Leans disagree· stated position
Jolly has defended parents' right to make decisions about gender-affirming care for their children and supported communities' rainbow crosswalks, and PolitiFact found a Donalds ad deceptively edited his remarks on the topic. He told WLRN he does not think athletes assigned male at birth should compete in girls' sports but that the governor should not impose sweeping restrictions on youth leagues.
"Look, if a 10- or 12-year-old soccer league in the community has a coed team, I don't think the governor should be throwing a flag on the field."
Energy & utilities Strongly agrees· stated position
After the Public Service Commission approved FPL's roughly $7 billion rate increase with a 10.95% return on equity, Jolly proposed capping the profit margin Florida's major electric utilities may earn at the national average (about 9.7%), reforming campaign finance to reduce utility influence, and 'requiring greater integration of clean energy technologies into our public utilities.' He says regulators and the Legislature have been 'captured' by the industry.
Trump administration Strongly disagrees· stated position
Jolly, who as a Republican congressman urged Trump to leave the 2016 race after his proposed Muslim ban, left the GOP in 2018 and became a Trump critic as an MSNBC commentator; in the 2026 race he calls Donalds 'Donald Trump's guy' and challenges him to defend the Trump economy.
Veterans Leans agree· stated position
Jolly lists 'Restoring Services for Our Veterans' as a platform plank and says he wants 'a government that actually serves seniors, veterans, and those in need'; no detailed veterans-benefits proposal was found.
No public position found on 1 issue
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Crime & policing. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Crime & policing: Campaign materials say anyone who commits a crime in Florida should be held accountable and that enforcement should target criminal activity, and Jolly lists 'fighting crime' among spending priorities alongside schools and health care; no position found on tougher penalties versus reform or on police funding levels.
Other issues this candidate has raised
- State catastrophic (hurricane/wind) insurance fund — Proposes moving hurricane and wind risk into a state catastrophe fund to lower private premiums; the Donalds campaign attacks it as shifting risk to taxpayers.
- Property-tax relief approach — Proposes a homestead exemption for first-time homebuyers ('generational property tax reform') instead of Amendment 3's broad elimination, which he says lacks replacement revenue.
- 30% teacher pay raise and 10-year public-school 'renaissance' — Proposes using tourist-development taxes to fund a 30% raise for public-school teachers, repair school infrastructure and add mental-health and anti-hunger programs in schools.
- No-interest state loans for condo owners — Proposes a state-backed, no-interest loan program to help condominium associations and individual owners pay special assessments, structural repairs and reserve requirements.
- Home rule and enacting majority-approved amendments — Says Tallahassee should stop preempting local zoning, labor and environmental decisions, and that when an amendment wins more than 50% (e.g., abortion 57%, marijuana 56%, open primaries 57%) the governor should use executive tools to advance it.
- Data-center moratorium — Says he would order an immediate moratorium on new data centers on his first day, citing environmental, community, real-estate and public-health concerns.
- Utility profit cap and campaign-finance reform — Would cap investor-owned utilities' allowed return on equity at the national average and limit utility political spending after the FPL rate case.
- Close 'Alligator Alcatraz' and review 287(g) agreements — Would close the Everglades detention facility on day one if still operating and suspend 287(g) agreements pending due-process protections.
- Data centers — Jolly has pledged a one-year statewide moratorium on data-center construction and, after touring Northern Virginia's 'Data Center Alley' on Sept. 16, said a complete ban should be 'on the table,' citing noise, air quality and property values: 'Let the other 49 states build them.'
- AI regulation — Jolly said he hopes Washington sets a federal AI standard, and if not, 'Florida needs to have one.'
- Hope Florida grand jury report — Jolly said the Legislature should adopt the grand jury's reform recommendations 'right away' and that as governor he would reopen the Hope Florida investigation.
- Asks national Democrats for help; large fundraising gap — In a Sept. 28, 2026 interview Jolly said Donalds has raised more than seven times what his campaign has and urged the national party to invest: 'If the national party doesn't come in, I worry about this race. I do.' He also said he would work to undo state preemption of local governments.
- Declined all general-election debates — Jolly announced on Sept. 20-21, 2026 that he would not debate Donalds, saying the campaign environment and what he called Donalds' bad faith made a constructive debate impossible. The decision led Florida A&M University to cancel the Sept. 29 Spectrum News debate on Sept. 24.
- Stetson University poll, Sept. 14-21, 2026 — A Stetson University survey reported Sept. 25 showed Donalds 51%, Jolly 39%, with 5% undecided and 5% for third-party candidates. Other September polls, including St. Pete Polls, showed the race effectively tied.
- Artificial intelligence in schools — Jolly said he supports AI as a classroom tool but opposes using it to replace teachers, and proposed retraining programs modeled on trade-adjustment assistance if AI displaces workers. He said 'AI should not replace a teacher.'
- Public education funding and tourist-development taxes — Jolly met the Sarasota County School Board on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 to discuss his education plan, calling for more public-education investment and for redirecting tourist-tax dollars to schools: 'I just don't think we have a crisis in convention centers. I think we have a crisis in public education.' He also campaigned on wages and affordability and appeared in Coconut Creek with former U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel.
- Polling (not a position) — An NBC 6/Telemundo poll by Mason-Dixon taken Sept. 28-Oct. 1 and released Oct. 6 put Donalds at 48% and Jolly at 41%, with about one in four independents undecided.
- FAMU student town hall, Oct. 12 (not a debate) — At the student-led town hall at Florida A&M University, Jolly said he would use executive orders to provide state funding for local-government diversity programs and expand diversity in public institutions, and said he would settle the 2022 student lawsuit alleging the state underfunded FAMU. He also said undecided Black voters may decide the race.
- Hurricane Isaias: paused advertising and fundraising — Jolly said his campaign took down political advertising and suspended fundraising during Hurricane Isaias and resumed on Oct. 12; WCTV reported he organized meal aid for children affected by the storm.
- Amendment 1 (rainy-day fund): supports, with guardrails — Jolly said he supports raising the Budget Stabilization Fund cap but wants guardrails on how the money is used.
- New TV ads — The campaign released a 30-second ad, 'Tough,' featuring retired Army Brig. Gen. Remo Butler criticizing Donalds, backed by what the campaign called a seven-figure buy in the five largest TV markets, and a 30-second ad in which Jolly asks viewers whether they are better off under Donald Trump and Byron Donalds.
- Fundraising (week ending Oct. 9) — Jolly raised more than $1.97 million across his campaign and political committee in the week ending Oct. 9, including about $241,000 in state matching funds; he has raised more than $21 million this cycle. Donalds raised more than $5.9 million the same week and more than $146 million this cycle.
- Polls released since Oct. 6 — Mason-Dixon for NBC 6/Telemundo (Sept. 28-Oct. 1): Donalds 48%, Jolly 41%. St. Pete Polls for Florida Politics (Oct. 5-7): Donalds 44.7%, Jolly 44.6%. James Madison Institute/Targoz (Sept. 28-Oct. 4): Donalds 52%, Jolly 42% among likely voters. Stetson University (Oct. 1-9): Donalds 52%, Jolly 41%. Change Research (Oct. 8-10): 47%-47%. YouGov (Sept. 28-Oct. 5): Donalds 47%, Jolly 45%. EDGE/MDW Communications, Democratic-aligned consultants (Oct. 4-10): Donalds 46%, Jolly 44%.Sources: Florida governor's race: Donalds leads Jolly, new poll find… (2026-10-07) · Byron Donalds 52%, David Jolly 42% in JMI poll as Blaise In… (2026-10-09) · Byron Donalds vs. David Jolly: Latest Polls Show Two Very D… (2026-10-13) · Democratic pollster sees Governor's race as a 'toss up' (Fl… (2026-10-14) · Rick Scott makes the case for Byron Donalds as poll shows h… (2026-10-08)
- Accountability for schools taking vouchers — Jolly said schools that accept vouchers "should have to provide the same services, standards and offerings"; WFLX reported that both he and Donalds support keeping universal school vouchers.
- Poll: UNF statewide survey (Oct. 12-19) — University of North Florida poll of 1,471 likely voters: Donalds 49%, Jolly 47%, 4% undecided (margin of error about +/-2.8 points); Jolly led among independents by 16 points.
Record: votes, actions and documented facts
- Served in the U.S. House (FL-13) from 2014 to 2017 as a Republican; running mate Gwen Graham served in the House as a Democrat during the same 2015-2017 period.
- Left the Republican Party after Congress and ran for governor in 2026 as a Democrat, winning the primary with ~61%.
- Was the first major candidate in the race to name a running mate (June 10, 2026).
- Trailed Donalds substantially in early fundraising, per news coverage.
- Sponsored H.R. 4443, the Stop Act (introduced Feb. 3, 2016), which would have barred federal officeholders from personally soliciting campaign contributions.
- Heritage Action scored his 114th Congress voting record at 39%, more moderate than the average House Republican; GovTrack records him missing 77 of 1,763 roll-call votes (4.4%) from March 2014 to December 2016, above the median.
- While in Congress as a Republican he said the Affordable Care Act should be repealed and replaced with private-sector solutions; as a 2026 Democratic candidate he supports Medicaid expansion and ACA tax credits.
- Says he voted against the 2024 recreational-marijuana amendment personally but would implement it as governor because a majority supported it.
- PolitiFact (Aug. 19, 2026) found a Donalds campaign ad deceptively edited a Jolly clip to suggest he supports gender-transition surgeries for minors.
- Urged Donald Trump to drop out of the 2016 presidential race in December 2015 over the proposed Muslim ban, and left the Republican Party in 2018.
- Running mate Gwen Graham served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education (2021-2025) after finishing second in the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Endorsements (as reported)
- Florida Education Association (teachers' union, 120,000+ members)
- Florida AFL-CIO and allied public-sector unions
- Group of Republican supporters including former 2026 GOP candidate Bobby Williams
- IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers)
- U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
- Miami Herald Editorial Board
- Tampa Bay Times (editorial recommendation, Oct. 16)
- Palm Beach Post Editorial Board
- The Bradenton Times (editorial recommendation)
- Florida Planned Parenthood PAC
- Sierra Club Florida
- Former President Barack Obama (video endorsement released Oct. 23)
- Former President Bill Clinton (campaigned with Jolly at a Broward County interfaith event, Oct. 20: "I think we ought to give David Jolly a chance")