Former Republican David Jolly launches longshot bid for Florida governor as a Democrat

Democrats look a immense uphill ascent successful 2026 to retake Florida’s governorship for the archetypal clip successful much than 2 decades, but David Jolly says helium is up to the challenge.

Jolly, a erstwhile Republican congressman who near the enactment successful ample portion due to the fact that of his absorption to President Donald Trump, is announcing Thursday that helium is moving for governor, making him the archetypal notable Democrat to get into the race.

“Let’s extremity the authorities of part and instrumentality Florida to voters who simply privation an system that works, the champion acquisition strategy successful the world, harmless communities and a authorities that stays retired of their doctor’s offices and household decisions,” Jolly said.

He said helium wants to absorption connected lowering lodging and security costs, boosting nationalist acquisition backing and “implementing caller weapon information measures.”

Jolly was a Republican subordinate of Congress from the Tampa country from 2014 to 2017. In a spot of governmental irony, helium mislaid his spot to erstwhile Gov. Charlie Crist. Crist, similar Jolly, near the Republican Party to tally arsenic a Democrat. He made failed Democratic bids for politician successful 2014 and 2022.

It’s a transportation Republicans successful the authorities person already been making, comparing Jolly’s Republican-turned-Democrat bid for politician to Crist’s ain failed governmental evolution.

“No substance the issue, David Jolly has been connected each sides of it,” Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power said successful a connection past period erstwhile Jolly archetypal floated a campaign. “Floridians won’t beryllium swayed. Under Republican leadership, Florida enjoys debased inflation, fiscal responsibility, and a thriving economy. School prime and parental rights are prioritized, and enactment for the regularisation of instrumentality is unmatched. We aren’t going backward with a flip-flopping governmental relic.”

Since helium near the Republican Party, Jolly has go a vocal anti-Trump dependable and has boosted his nationalist illustration arsenic a regular commentator connected MSNBC.

Jolly is not lone the archetypal large Democrat to participate the 2026 race; helium whitethorn person a somewhat casual way to the nomination. Former authorities Sen. Jason Pizzo, who has sizeable idiosyncratic wealth, precocious near the enactment and has said helium is moving for politician arsenic an independent, removing a imaginable obstacle who had been considered 1 of the top-tier imaginable Jolly opponents successful a primary.

After having spent years arsenic 1 of the country’s astir tightly divided plaything states, Florida has go an overwhelmingly GOP-dominated state. Republicans power each levers of powerfulness successful authorities government, and Democrats person not held the Governor’s Mansion since the precocious 1990s.

Jolly, however, thinks a absorption distant from the benignant of civilization war-driven, sharp-elbowed authorities that has defined Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2 presumption successful bureau is simply a mode to interruption through.

“This is simply a antithetic benignant of issue-driven, results-focused campaign, and it volition beryllium driven not by choler and part but by optimism and solutions,” Jolly said. “We are gathering a caller conjugation of Floridians who profoundly attraction astir their authorities and are hopeless for existent answers to existent problems that are putting our prime of beingness astatine risk.”

On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds has already announced helium is moving for governor, and helium rapidly picked up an endorsement from Trump. He has raised implicit $15 cardinal and is considered the front-runner connected the GOP said, adjacent arsenic DeSantis’ wife, Casey, considers her ain run for governor.

Despite Republicans’ galore advantages, Jolly says the state, aft much than 20 years of GOP leadership, is acceptable for a change.

“We tin champion the Democratic values of an system wherever everyone has the accidental to succeed, and we tin make a authorities that really serves seniors, veterans, and those successful need,” helium said.