David Jolly seeks Florida governor seat Nov. 3

David Jolly, a former Republican congressman now running as a Democrat, is seeking the Florida governor's seat in the Nov. 3 general election. He will appear on Coral Gables voters' ballots.

Jolly won the Democratic primary on Aug. 18 and faces Republican Byron Donalds, according to NBC News. Six other candidates are also on the ballot: Charles Burkett, Dean Ocean Abrams, Frank Russo, Jeffrey Peter Datto, Moliere Dimanche and Scott Jewett.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Running mate: Former Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Graham (Florida's 2nd Congressional District), according to his Wikipedia page
Born: Oct. 31, 1972, in Dunedin, Florida; grew up in Dade City, Florida
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
Background: Jolly said he is a fifth-generation Floridian and the son of a Baptist minister, Lawson Jolly

Experience and public service

Jolly represented Florida's 13th Congressional District as a Republican from 2014 to 2017, his Wikipedia page shows. Before that, he served 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.

After leaving Congress, Jolly left the Republican Party in September 2018 and spent several years as an independent. He co-founded the Forward Party in 2022, then registered as a Democrat in April 2025 and launched his gubernatorial bid in June 2025.

Jolly said 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. He served as executive vice president and principal at Shumaker Advisors Florida, according to his Wikipedia page, and founded Three Bridges Advisors, according to BallotReady.

On the issues

The following positions are stated by the candidate through his campaign website and other campaign materials.

Housing and insurance: Jolly said the property insurance crisis is the primary reason many Floridians struggle to afford a home. He proposed a state catastrophic fund that would remove natural disaster perils from the private market, which he said would reduce property and car insurance rates. He also called for no-interest state-backed loans for condominium associations facing costly repairs.

Education: Jolly proposed a 10-year plan to revitalize public education, including increasing teacher pay by 30 percent to bring salaries closer to the national average. He said qualified Florida students should have preferred application status at the state's flagship universities. He also said the state voucher program should be means-tested and that private schools accepting vouchers should cap tuition inflation.

Environment and energy: Jolly said Florida should accept the science of climate change, protect beaches and state parks, and invest in resiliency. He called for greater integration of clean energy technologies into public utilities.

Healthcare: Jolly said Florida should expand Medicaid, calling it a critical program that supports childbirth care, long-term care for seniors and hospital funding statewide.

Government reform: Jolly said he would reopen the Hope Florida investigation if elected, according to Sparker's Soapbox. He called for stronger ethics and campaign finance rules, saying Florida has "some of the weakest" in the country. He also said the state should respect home rule and make constitutional amendments easier for voters.