With Florida's political rumor mill running at full speed pushing the narrative that newly-appointed Lt. Governor Jay Collins will run for Florida governor in 2026, did the former U.S. Army Green Beret just take another step closer to running by taking a shot at Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly?
"The nation is screaming for change. We can meet this moment, we can build a winning coalition, and we can make real changes in the Sunshine State. Join us," stated Jolly.
In response to Jolly saying that Americans were "screaming for change," Collins quipped at the remark, calling Jolly a " life long politician that flip flops on his convictions."
“The only change David Jolly is after is taking away your guns, and not protecting our God given freedoms. Floridians won’t stand for a life long politician that flip-flops on his convictions.," said Collins in a statement to The Floridian.
Collins response to Jolly, which is a glaring dig at Jolly for changing his political affiliation from Republican to Democrat, could be considered to be a not-so-subtle towards entering into the Republican gubernatorial race against Rep. Byron Donalds, who has also ripped into Jolly over his "radical leftist"support for the Democratic Party agenda, and his stance on gun rights.
"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."
The Trump-endorsed Donalds has also referred to Jolly's leadership as "weak sauce."
Collins is said to be strongly considering a gubernatorial run in 2025, but details, outside of conversations with potential campaign staffers, are almost non-existent.
The latest Real Clear Politics average of polls had Donalds as the clear frontrunner (with Mrs. Casey DeSantis being on the ballot), but does not figure in Collins.
