Tuesday, October 27, 2026 Vol. I · No. 6 · Morning Edition Print size
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The Wire
Johnson says he'd stay GOP leader even if Republicans lose the House on Nov. 3 Trump's Iran war drags on GOP midterm candidates as gas prices stay high On tape: Sanders: 15 million thrown off their health care so the top 1% could get $1 trillion in tax breaks Trump and Rubio to showcase Venezuelan crude tanker in Texas, then rally for Paxton Blue Cross drops Medicare Advantage plans for 20,000 Massachusetts seniors GOP Rep. Fine says anyone who lied on citizenship forms should be deported, Melania and Musk included Donalds stands by 2024 Jim Crow family remark as Jolly's attack is rated Half True El Paso police and NAACP condemn viral video of people in KKK-style robes On tape: El-Sayed says Detroit made Marathon cut emissions and put 16,000 pairs of glasses on kids. RFK Jr. tells Michigan rally 500 million Arabs 'don't produce science' Johnson says he'd stay GOP leader even if Republicans lose the House on Nov. 3 Trump's Iran war drags on GOP midterm candidates as gas prices stay high On tape: Sanders: 15 million thrown off their health care so the top 1% could get $1 trillion in tax breaks Trump and Rubio to showcase Venezuelan crude tanker in Texas, then rally for Paxton Blue Cross drops Medicare Advantage plans for 20,000 Massachusetts seniors GOP Rep. Fine says anyone who lied on citizenship forms should be deported, Melania and Musk included Donalds stands by 2024 Jim Crow family remark as Jolly's attack is rated Half True El Paso police and NAACP condemn viral video of people in KKK-style robes On tape: El-Sayed says Detroit made Marathon cut emissions and put 16,000 pairs of glasses on kids. RFK Jr. tells Michigan rally 500 million Arabs 'don't produce science'
David Jolly Governor — Florida Lean R First run
FLnominee

Governor — Florida · First run

David Jolly

David Jolly is a former Republican congressman from Florida who left the party, became an independent in 2018, and joined the Democrats last year. Public polls in October show Byron Donalds ahead, by 2 to 9 points depending on the poll.

On the ballot against Byron Donalds (R)

Why it matters: The race will decide who succeeds Ron DeSantis, and the Democratic Governors Association put $1 million into Jolly's campaign after not previously spending in the state's governor's race.

Give to David directly Volunteer Campaign site Your voting plan

Direct gifts go 100% to the campaign through its own official page. We never see or handle them.

The race at a glance

Race ratingLean RCook Political Report, Oct 27 source
Polling average (6 polls) Jolly 43.7% 49.7% Donalds 7% undecided or other Donalds +6 Jul 20Oct 21Most recent poll from each pollster, Oct 13 to Oct 21. Checked 11 min ago. Every poll
Money raised (through Sep 11) Jolly$8,200,000 Donalds$13,300,000 source

Every poll in this race

PollsterDateSampleJollyDonaldsMargin
Univ. of North FloridaOct 211,471 LV47%49%R +2
co/efficientOct 211,014 LV · Margin of error ±3.1%40%49%R +9
ActiVoteOct 19400 LV48%52%R +4
YouGovOct 19825 RV42%50%R +8
MDW CommunicationsOct 142,351 LV44%46%R +2
Stetson UniversityOct 13716 LV41%52%R +11
Change ResearchOct 12920 LV47%47%Tied
James Madison InstituteOct 9849 LV42%52%R +10
St. Pete PollsOct 8836 LV45%45%Tied
Mason-DixonOct 7625 LV41%48%R +7
YouGovOct 63,813 LV45%47%R +2
Change ResearchSep 281,063 LV · Margin of error ±2.8%48%46%D +2

LV = likely voters, RV = registered voters. Polls listed by 270toWin, which lists 24 polls in this race; the newest 12 are shown. Each pollster name links to its own release.

In David's own words

Florida needs a moratorium. We would issue it on our first day in office.
David Jolly, Jolly on a statewide moratorium on hyperscale data centers, from his campaign website source

Where David stands

Housing and insurance
Jolly would create a state catastrophic fund to take natural disaster risk off the private insurance market, and offer no-interest state-backed loans for condo repairs. source
Health care
He would expand Medicaid to several hundred thousand uninsured Floridians, add primary care clinics, and grow community health centers in every county. source
Education
He would sharply increase public school funding and teacher pay, make voucher schools meet public school standards, and limit vouchers to families with demonstrated need. source
Data centers
He would issue a statewide moratorium on hyperscale data centers on his first day in office. source

The record

  • U.S. Representative for Florida's 13th District from March 2014 to January 2017, elected as a Republican, serving on the Appropriations Committee
  • Worked on Capitol Hill for Rep. Bill Young from 1995 to 2006, then worked as a lobbyist
  • Later worked as a political commentator on CNN and MSNBC
ConfidentialThe GOP File

The file on Byron Donalds

  • Donalds voted on Jan. 7, 2021 to object to certifying the Electoral College vote, and voted against impeaching Donald Trump on Jan. 13, 2021. source
  • In September 2024 the Campaign Legal Center filed an ethics complaint alleging Donalds failed to disclose more than 100 stock trades, worth up to $1.6 million, in violation of the STOCK Act. The page reports no resolution. source
  • In July 2026 Collier County School Board member Kelly Mason filed a civil lawsuit alleging Donalds assaulted her in 2022. Donalds denied it and called the suit a politically motivated attack. source

Endorsed by

Barack ObamaBill ClintonMiami HeraldAFSCME FloridaSierra Club Florida

On tape

President Bill Clinton says David Jolly's opponent scrubbed Trump from his campaign websiteOct 24

In the files

David Jolly. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Profile sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

Race data checked Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Quotes on this page were matched word for word against their sources.