David Jolly, a Dunedin native and former Republican congressman running as a Democrat, is on the ballot for Florida governor in the Nov. 3 general election.

Jolly won the Democratic primary on Aug. 18 and faces Republican Byron Donalds along with six other candidates, according to NBC News and BallotReady election data. His running mate is former Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Graham, who represented Florida's 2nd Congressional District, according to his Wikipedia biography.

Jolly, according to his campaign, 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.

Candidate information

  • Born: Oct. 31, 1972, in Dunedin; grew up in Dade City
  • Party: Democratic
  • Education: Bachelor's degree from Emory University (1994); juris doctor from George Mason University (2001)
  • Family: Wife Laura; lives in Pinellas County

Experience and public service

Jolly represented Florida's 13th Congressional District as a Republican from 2014 to 2017, according to BallotReady data. His campaign says his work on campaign finance reform was featured on CBS' 60 Minutes during that time.

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

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

On the issues

The following positions are stated by Jolly's campaign.

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 proposes a 10-year plan to revitalize public education, including increasing teacher pay by 30 percent. 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 across the state.

Government reform: Jolly says he would reopen the Hope Florida investigation if elected. He supports campaign finance reform and says Florida has some of the weakest ethics rules in the country. He also supports making 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 hospital funding statewide.

Endorsements

The following endorsements are reported by Sparker's Soapbox and BallotReady:

  • Miami Herald Editorial Board
  • Maxwell Frost, U.S. House of Representatives (FL-10)
  • AFL-CIO
  • Florida Education Association
  • United Teachers of Dade
  • Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida
  • Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus
  • LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus of Palm Beach County
  • Palm Beach Human Rights Council
  • The Hillsborough Society
  • Miami Beach Democratic Club

Other candidates in the race include Byron Donalds (Republican), 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).

The general election is Nov. 3.