Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL) quickly slammed David Jolly, a former Republican turned Democrat, after he announced his run for governor of Florida on Thursday.
"David Jolly is an anti-Trump, radical leftist who wants to raise your taxes, allow illegals to pour across our border, take school choice away from families, ban guns, and bring woke ideology to Florida," Donalds said. He's completely out of touch with Florida's voters and our values."
Jolly represented Florida's 13th Congressional District as a Republican from 2014 until 2017. He later switched his party affiliation to Independent for two years before becoming a registered Democrat in April.
After leaving office, Jolly appeared as a political commentator on CNN and MSNBC. He has also been a frequent critic of President Donald Trump.
Rep. Donalds was endorsed by Trump ahead of his official gubernatorial run. He is the only major Republican currently in the race, despite rumors around First Lady Casey DeSantis.
"Florida is Trump Country, and I am proudly endorsed by President Trump to be Florida's next Governor. As Governor, I will fight side by side with President Trump to protect Florida families and Make America Great Again," Donalds added.
Jolly posted a somewhat inconspicuous gubernatorial launch on his X account. He currently only has 215 followers.
"Our state is in crisis — not just a crisis of policy, not right versus left, but a crisis of right versus wrong," Jolly said. "It doesn’t have to be this way."
Jolly joins Sen. Jason Pizzo, a former Democrat turned Independent, in the gubernatorial race. Sen. Pizzo appeared to be running as a Democrat before pulling the plug in a dramatic exit on the Senate floor in April.
The gubernatorial election is on Nov. 3, 2026.
