Trump Critic And Former GOP Congressman Will Run For FL Governor As Democrat

FLORIDA — Former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, who served in Congress as a Republican, announced his run for Florida governor as a Democrat.

Current Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited and will leave office after the 2026 election.
Jolly, 52, told the New York Times that his campaign will focus on Florida’s high cost of living and skyrocketing property insurance rates.

“The No. 1 issue in Florida right now is the affordability crisis. It was largely created or ignored by Republicans in Tallahassee,” he said.

No other Democrat has entered the race so far. Likely Republican contenders include

President Donald Trump in March endorsed Republican Rep. Byron Donalds for governor, who is the only major party candidate to file, Politico reported. Florida first lady Casey DeSantis is also considering a run for the job her husband is vacating.

State Senator Jason W.B. Pizzo, a former Democrat who left the party in April, has said that he will run for governor as an independent, The New York Times said.

Jolly was first elected to his Tampa Bay-area congressional seat during a 2014 special election and was reelected for one full term. The attorney and former lobbyist underwent a political evolution that spurred him to leave the Republican Party in 2018 to become an independent and then a registered Democrat. He has built a national profile as an anti-Trump political commentator on MSNBC.

Jolly said he has considered himself “part of the Democratic coalition” for five or so years, and believes in what he sees as the party’s “fundamental values” — that government can help people, that the economy should be “fair” to all, and that immigrants should be celebrated.

“I struggled to exercise those values in the Republican Party,” he said, continuing: “The actual registration as a Democrat wasn’t a pivot. It was a kind of a formality.”

He also acknowledged that he has a long road ahead of him, as Republicans far outnumber Democrats in Florida. Still, he hopes to reach nonpartisan and independent voters, as well as Republicans who might be unhappy with their own party, according to Fox 13.

"In a Republican super-state where Republicans will outraise and outspend us two to one, the only way to win an election is to build a true coalition of change," Jolly said. "Go into communities where we haven't been in a long time and to show that we can build trust and build coalitions, to listen to each other, and actually realize that maybe we should put change ahead of our partisan affiliation."

This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.

• Get The Latest Local News (For Free!) With One Quick Tap