David Jolly (Screenshot via Florida2026.com)
Former Republican Congressman David Jolly is expected to launch a bid for Florida governor next year after registering as a Democrat.
Jolly served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2014 – 2017, representing parts of Tampa Bay. After losing his seat in 2018, the politician left the GOP with a change in affiliation to independent. He registered as a Democrat April 23.
Jolly has been “a frequent commentator on MSNBC who’s been a vocal critic of DeSantis and Trump,” according to Politico. The day after Jolly updated his status to Democrat, he announced the founding of the Florida 2026 committee.
Many suspect the creation of Florida 2026 is “a step… toward a possible run for governor,” Politico reported. F
The website “looks an awful lot like a campaign platform,” Florida Politics noted.
While the main focus of Florida 2026 is to address voter registration and affordability, some verbiage may suggest the political committee intends to make Florida a safer state for LGBTQ+ residents.
On Florida 2026’s website, a key issue listed is “Creating a Florida for All.” The site further explains by stating, “Florida should reject the politics of division and hate, and instead create a home where everyone is valued, respected, and welcomed.”
While in office, Jolly was one of few Republican congressmen who spoke in favor of same-sex marriage. In 2014, Jolly told the Washington Post that while he personally valued traditional marriage, “as a matter of constitutional principle I believe in a form of limited government that protects personal liberty.”
In 2023, as a commentator for MSNBC, Jolly said the GOP “is a group of people that believe reading a book can make you gay.”
“Qualitatively, their assessment is that if you’re LGBTQ, somehow that’s wrong,” he shared. “Kids are being exposed to diversity for the first time in modern America, and that’s a good thing,”
Jolly’s swap in affiliation mirrors that of U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, another Republican-turned Independent-turned Democrat who replaced Jolly in Congress. When Crist ran for governor against DeSantis in 2022, he lost by nearly 20 points.
Jolly’s potential run for governor as a Democrat will come at a time when Florida “has 1.2 million more registered Republicans than Democrats, and no Democrat holds statewide elected office,” Politico also noted.
