Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly will not participate in debates with Republican challenger Byron Donalds in the race for Florida governor, according to an interview with Scripps news reporter Forrest Saunders.
“It is clear, given the tenor of the current campaign environment, including Byron's repeated lies and bad faith, that debates this cycle would not create constructive, honest conversation and only further stoke division, animosity, and bad will," Jolly said. "That's not something I wish to do for our state.”
Rep. Donalds agreed to three gubernatorial debates against Jolly last week. Jolly's team quickly responded by saying he had already accepted two debates and Donalds was "ducking" the opportunity.
"We accepted multiple debates before this week. Byron refused them and instead set his own rules by press release," Jolly continued. His ads and allegations have repeatedly been found to be false, and it is clear he is simply looking for avenues to continue misleading Florida voters."
Rep. Donalds attacked Jolly on his insurance plan and hurricane tax in a campaign ad this month, prompting a sharp rebuke by the Democratic hopeful.
"The voting community has been well informed in the last 18 months of campaigning through more than 300 town halls and community meetings, and we will continue to inform voters through dozens of more events and online outreach," Jolly said. "I encourage Byron to do the same."
Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power repeatedly called Jolly "Dodgy Dave" following the decision in a series of posts on social media.
"I know Byron will complain about this, but as he said to his GOP primary opponents when he repeatedly declined their requests for debate, 'it's not my job' to platform his campaign," Jolly argued.
Donalds declined to debate Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and businessman James Fishback in the Republican primary. Donalds ended up winning the GOP primary by nearly 23 points.
Polling in this race appears to be much closer.
"I look forward to the final six weeks of the campaign, crisscrossing the state and meeting voters in their communities - red, blue, and purple - and I look forward to an election night that will bring new leadership to the State of Florida," Jolly concluded.
