Republican-Turned-Democrat David Jolly Launches Bid for Florida Governor

Former Republican-turned-Democrat David Jolly has announced that he’s joining the 2026 gubernatorial race in Florida.

Jolly announced Thursday that he’s launching his campaign for governor.

He’s hoping to flip one of the reddest states in America blue.

Jolly, who served the Tampa Bay area in Congress from 2014 to 2017, made his switch official after years of distancing himself from the GOP.

In an interview with CBS Miami, Jolly claimed:

“I bring a different value set.

“Even when I was in Congress as a Republican, I supported marriage equality, gun control, climate science, campaign finance reform.”

He admitted he had difficulty living out those views in the Republican Party:

“I struggled to exercise those values in the Republican Party…

“The actual registration as a Democrat wasn’t a pivot.

“It was a kind of formality.”

Jolly’s main campaign theme? Big-government solutions to what he calls Florida’s “affordability crisis.”

“We have an affordability crisis in Florida driven by an insurance crisis,” Jolly said, according to Fox News.

“We have abandoned public education, and we’ve allowed corruption to run rampant.

“It’s time for a change.”

But flipping Florida may be easier said than done.

The state is deeply Republican.

Florida is also home to President Donald Trump and boasts a GOP voter registration advantage of over 1.2 million.

Meanwhile, the Republican primary field is already heating up.

Trump-endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is seen as the frontrunner.

Meanwhile, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and the governor’s wife, Casey DeSantis, are also rumored contenders.

It comes as the Democrats remain divided and uncertain about their chances of winning statewide.

This reality raises serious questions about Jolly’s viability in a state that’s trending redder with each election.