The Miami Herald Editorial Board officially endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly in an Opinion article Wednesday afternoon.
Jolly is joined on the Herald endorsement list by several candidates in nonpartisan races including 11th judicial court judge, Miami-Dade School Board and county commission.
"If voters choose the Republican on the ballot, Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, voters will be inviting more of the same: More division. New culture wars. More trampling of home rule. More costly immigration policies," the Herald endorsement said.
The board noted Jolly's centrist policies and ability to work across the aisle will work to his advantage in the governorship.
The endorsement applauded Jolly's stance on affordability, and specifically, his plan to bring down homeowner insurance costs.
"He said he would propose a new kind of state catastrophic fund to cover hurricane and wind insurance, removing natural disaster coverage from private markets — which he said could reduce homeowners’ insurance costs dramatically, as much as 60-70%," the endorsement said. "He seems to have thought the proposal through: To generate the money for the fund, he proposed taxing insurance companies, implementing a documentary stamp tax on real estate transactions or using tourism revenue."
The endorsement also mentioned Jolly's policies increasing teacher pay, restoring access to abortion in Florida and expanding Medicaid.
One of Jolly's biggest talking points in recent months has been his stance on data centers, which is a point of contention with opponent Republican Byron Donalds.
Jolly has pledged to initiate a one-year moratorium on artificial intelligence data centers, if elected, a stance the Herald applauded.
One point of disappointment in Jolly the Herald mentioned was his decision not to debate Donalds ahead of the gubernatorial election.
"That’s a misstep, and voters are the ones who will pay the price," the endorsement said about the decision, although it still emphasized the Herald's support for Jolly and the need for a change in Florida politics the board thinks Jolly would bring.
