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David Jolly registers as a Democrat, making moves toward Florida governor bid -Politico [View all]
Democrats may get a second shot at running a party convert for Florida governor in their ongoing effort to claw back the state’s battleground status.
Former Republican Rep. David Jolly, who has made a national name for himself as a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump, took a step Thursday toward a possible run for governor of Florida in 2026 by launching a state political committee.
Jolly, 52, also switched his no-party affiliation voter registration to Democrat on Wednesday afternoon, which would make him eligible to run statewide under the party’s ticket by next year’s qualification period in June.
The ex-Republican first told POLITICO he was weighing the decision to run to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis in an interview last month, drawing comparisons to former Rep. Charlie Crist, the Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat who lost the gubernatorial race to DeSantis by 19 points in 2022.
Jolly talked about the new committee in a video he’ll be posting to social media, provided first to POLITICO, saying its goal was to “engage Florida’s voters, promote voter registration” and talk about issues like affordability, property insurance costs, “reinvesting in public education” and “fixing our broken voucher system.”
“We’ll tackle ending gun violence and so many other priorities for Florida voters,” he added.
Jolly’s political committee will allow him to start raising money for a possible 2026 statewide run, and he posted details about his biography and policy positions at DavidJolly.com. A state committee can accept unlimited sums from companies and individual donors, and candidates are allowed to be directly involved in their operation and decision-making — which isn’t the case for federal campaign committees.
Jolly is also bringing on Eric Hyers, a prominent campaign veteran for red-state Democrats, to advise his team on the 2026 cycle. Hyers managed winning campaigns for Democratic Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Steve Bullock of Montana and Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island.
Hyers told POLITICO in an interview that Democrats had a “huge opportunity” to win back middle-of-the-road voters in 2026.
“Jolly is a really pragmatic person,” Hyers said. “And in this cycle, people are not focused on the letter in front of your name — they want people they trust who do what they think is right and put them first.”
Former Republican Rep. David Jolly, who has made a national name for himself as a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump, took a step Thursday toward a possible run for governor of Florida in 2026 by launching a state political committee.
Jolly, 52, also switched his no-party affiliation voter registration to Democrat on Wednesday afternoon, which would make him eligible to run statewide under the party’s ticket by next year’s qualification period in June.
The ex-Republican first told POLITICO he was weighing the decision to run to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis in an interview last month, drawing comparisons to former Rep. Charlie Crist, the Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat who lost the gubernatorial race to DeSantis by 19 points in 2022.
Jolly talked about the new committee in a video he’ll be posting to social media, provided first to POLITICO, saying its goal was to “engage Florida’s voters, promote voter registration” and talk about issues like affordability, property insurance costs, “reinvesting in public education” and “fixing our broken voucher system.”
“We’ll tackle ending gun violence and so many other priorities for Florida voters,” he added.
Jolly’s political committee will allow him to start raising money for a possible 2026 statewide run, and he posted details about his biography and policy positions at DavidJolly.com. A state committee can accept unlimited sums from companies and individual donors, and candidates are allowed to be directly involved in their operation and decision-making — which isn’t the case for federal campaign committees.
Jolly is also bringing on Eric Hyers, a prominent campaign veteran for red-state Democrats, to advise his team on the 2026 cycle. Hyers managed winning campaigns for Democratic Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Steve Bullock of Montana and Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island.
Hyers told POLITICO in an interview that Democrats had a “huge opportunity” to win back middle-of-the-road voters in 2026.
“Jolly is a really pragmatic person,” Hyers said. “And in this cycle, people are not focused on the letter in front of your name — they want people they trust who do what they think is right and put them first.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/24/david-jolly-registers-democrat-florida-governor-00306774
Should we be behind this guy, just 'cause he's supposedly anti-dump?
14 replies
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