David Jolly seeks Florida governor seat Nov. 3

David Jolly, a former U.S. representative from Pinellas County who describes himself as a fifth-generation Floridian, is the Democratic nominee for Florida governor in the Nov. 3 general election. He won the Democratic primary on Aug. 18, according to NBC News.

Jolly will face Republican Byron Donalds along with six other candidates: Charles Burkett, Dean Ocean Abrams, Jeffrey Peter Datto, Moliere Dimanche, Frank Russo (all No Party Preference) and Scott Jewett (Libertarian), according to BallotReady election data.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Born: Oct. 31, 1972, in Dunedin
Residence: Pinellas County, where he lives with his wife Laura and their young family, according to his campaign website
Education: Bachelor's degree from Emory University (1994); juris doctor from George Mason University (2001), according to BallotReady
Family background: Son of Baptist minister Lawson Jolly, according to his campaign website

Experience and public service

Jolly served in Congress representing Florida's 13th Congressional District from 2014 to 2017 as a Republican, according to Wikipedia. Before that, he worked as staff and general counsel in the office of U.S. Rep. Bill Young from 1995 to 2006.

He worked as a lobbyist at Van Scoyoc Associates from 2007 to 2011 and founded Three Bridges Advisors in 2011, according to BallotReady.

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

His campaign website says his work on campaign finance reform was featured on CBS' 60 Minutes while he was in Congress. He also worked as a political analyst at NBC and MSNBC, according to his campaign website.

His running mate is former Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Graham, who represented Florida's 2nd Congressional District, according to Wikipedia.

On the issues

The following positions are stated by Jolly on his campaign issues page, as compiled by 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 facing costly repairs.

Education: Jolly says he would propose 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 public schools offer.

Environment: Jolly says Florida should accept the science of climate change, protect beaches and state parks, and invest in resiliency. He supports expanding clean and renewable energy technologies through the state's public utilities. He also says he would issue a moratorium on data centers, according to Sparker's Soapbox.

Government reform: Jolly says he would reopen the Hope Florida investigation if elected, according to Sparker's Soapbox. He calls for stronger ethics and campaign finance rules and says Florida should respect home rule and make constitutional amendments easier for voters to place on the ballot.

Healthcare: Jolly says Florida should expand Medicaid, calling it a critical program that supports childbirth care, long-term care for seniors and care for those with special needs.