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AP: Mission Improbable: A one-time Republican is trying to prove Democrats can win in Florida
Jolly says Florida can still be a battleground as Democrats face a 100-million-dollar fundraising gap against Byron Donalds.
- Jolly, a former Republican who registered as a Democrat in 2025, faces Rep. Byron Donalds, the Trump-backed candidate who won Tuesday's Republican primary for Florida governor. The race pits a party-switcher against an establishment Republican in a state that has trended decisively rightward.
- President Donald Trump has won Florida three times with expanding margins, while Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis secured a 19-percentage-point victory in 2022 that cemented a GOP supermajority in the state legislature. This rightward shift has made Florida increasingly hostile terrain for Democrats.
- Donalds has raised more than $100 million compared to Jolly's $10 million, giving him a commanding financial advantage. He is blanketing the state with advertisements attacking Jolly's positions on "gender-affirming care" and LGBTQ community support.
- Voter reactions are mixed at campaign events. Retired handwriting expert Steven Slyter, 81, called Jolly's party switch "courageous," while a 71-year-old attendee pressed whether Jolly would become "another John Fetterman."
- Jolly contends that winning Florida would represent a "generational opportunity" for Democrats and reshape House representation. However, he acknowledged there's "not going to be the political will" to reverse the state's ban on transgender girls in competitive sports.
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Associated Press News+38 Reposted by 38 other sources
Mission Improbable: A onetime Republican is trying to prove Democrats can win in Florida
David Jolly, a former Republican now running for Florida governor as a Democrat, is trying to revive the state's political battleground status.
·New York, United States
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Cyn Doyle is described as a cynic of politics. So when David Jolly—a Republican turned independent now running for governor of Florida as a Democrat—went through Leesburg, a town dotted with Spanish lakes and moss, she had doubts.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources42
Leaning Left18Leaning Right2Center20Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 45%
C 50%
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