David Jolly seeks Florida governor seat Tuesday, Nov. 3

David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who registered as a Democrat in April 2025, won the Aug. 18 Democratic primary for Florida governor, NBC News reported.

He is certified for the Tuesday, Nov. 3, general election ballot, according to BallotReady election data. He faces Republican Byron Donalds along with six other candidates: Charles Burkett (No Party Preference), Dean Ocean Abrams (No Party Preference), Frank Russo (No Party Preference), Jeffrey Peter Datto (No Party Preference), Moliere Dimanche (No Party Preference) and Scott Jewett (Libertarian).

Candidate information

Name: David Jolly
Party: Democratic
Running mate: Former Democratic congresswoman Gwen Graham, who represented Florida's 2nd Congressional District, according to Wikipedia
Born: Oct. 31, 1972, in Dunedin, Florida; grew up in Dade City
Family: Jolly says he is a fifth-generation Floridian and the son of Baptist minister Lawson Jolly. He and his wife Laura are raising their family in Pinellas County, according to his campaign website.
Education: Bachelor's degree from Emory University (1994); law degree from George Mason University (2001), according to BallotReady

Experience and public service

Jolly represented Florida's 13th Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2014 to 2017 as a Republican, according to BallotReady and Wikipedia. His campaign website says his work on campaign finance reform was featured on CBS' 60 Minutes while he was in Congress.

He served as staff and general counsel in the office of U.S. Rep. Bill Young from 1995 to 2006, according to Wikipedia. He later worked as a lobbyist at Van Scoyoc Associates from 2007 to 2011 and founded Three Bridges Advisors in 2011, according to Wikipedia and BallotReady. He also served as executive vice president and principal at Shumaker Advisors Florida starting in 2018, according to Wikipedia. His campaign website says he worked as a political analyst at NBC and MSNBC.

Jolly left the Republican Party in September 2018. He spent several years as an independent, co-founded the Forward Party in 2022, then registered as a Democrat in April 2025, according to Wikipedia. He launched his gubernatorial bid in June 2025.

On his campaign website, Jolly described his political philosophy: "I simply subscribe to the old-school Republican position that government should stay out of your life, out of your doctor's office, and out of your bedroom."

On the issues

The following positions are stated by Jolly on his campaign issues page via BallotReady.

Housing and insurance: Jolly says the property insurance crisis is the primary reason many Floridians struggle to afford a home. He proposes a state catastrophic fund that would remove natural disaster perils from the private market, which he says would reduce property and car insurance rates. He also supports a no-interest, state-backed loan program for condominium associations and owners facing costly building repairs.

Environment and resiliency: Jolly says Florida should accept the science of climate change, protect beaches and state parks, and invest in resiliency statewide. He calls for a sustainability agenda and greater integration of clean energy technologies into public utilities.

Education: Jolly proposes a 10-year plan to revitalize public education, including increasing teacher pay by 30 percent, according to Wikipedia. He says the state voucher program is built on an economic model likely to collapse and that private schools accepting vouchers should cap tuition inflation and provide the same specialized services as public schools, according to his campaign issues page.

Healthcare: Jolly says Florida should expand Medicaid, calling it a critical program that supports childbirth care, long-term care for seniors and hospital funding across the state.

Government reform: Jolly says Florida should respect home rule and support voter initiatives. He calls for stronger ethics and campaign finance rules, saying the state has some of the weakest in the country. He also pledges to reopen the Hope Florida investigation if elected, according to Sparker's Soapbox.