Jacob Ogles
David Jolly once won a bitter fight to represent a Florida swing seat in Congress as a Republican. Now, he’s exploring a run for Governor by meeting with Democratic clubs across the state.
Jolly, who spent much of his political energy in the last decade promoting political movements outside the two-party system, said he will run as a Democrat if he decides to seek the Governor’s Mansion next year.
“I’ve considered myself a proud member of the Democratic Coalition for years now,” Jolly told Florida Politics. “The coalition I would need is essentially the same. You need Democrats, independents and kind of mainstream Republicans to build a coalition. If you do it as an NPA (no party affiliation candidate) or as a Democrat, you are still asking if you can change the state.”
Jolly met with the Legislative Black Caucus, a heavily Democrat-leaning group of elected officials, in a Monday meeting first reported by POLITICO. But more important, Jolly said, have been meetings with local Democratic clubs all throughout the state over much of the past year. From speaking with party regulars, he feels his current political philosophy largely aligns with Florida Democrats.
But he has identified as nonpartisan since 2018, when he left the Republican Party halfway into President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House. He also has been involved in third-party politics, whether as Executive Director of the Serve America Movement in 2020 or as one of the co-founders of the Forward Party in 2022.
But Jolly said he can’t deny that American democracy is built around the two-party system.
“I still like multiparty democracies,” he said. “Around the world, they have greater participation, better satisfaction, better outcomes. But we don’t have a multiparty system in the U.S.”
Despite a shift toward Republican politics in the last four years, Jolly sees a hunger in Florida for a break from reactionary government. “Republicans spent eight years fighting culture wars,” he said. “Voters want them to address the insurance crisis and have better schools.”
He said his platform will focus on topics like reforming the insurance market and making sure Florida vouchers for private schools are adjusted for inflation rather than being paid at a low amount that still won’t help families.
He also believes one-party rule has resulted in open corruption in state government, and believes the public would embrace campaign finance reforms to combat that.
With term limits prohibiting Gov. Ron DeSantis from running again, Jolly said he also sees a path to victory that’s more clear just because there is an open seat.
“This is a good cycle for Florida to choose its direction,” he said.
4 comments
ScienceBLVR
March 25, 2025 at 6:08 pm
Still like to see a solid Democrat run, although I’ve always respected Jolly. I do think he’d stand a better chance than Charlie had, but hey just like Christ, he first came into office as a Republican, then splintered off. Maybe all the good Republicans have to eventually leave a party, that unfortunately has become morally bankrupt, authoritarian and the enemy of the Constitution and free speech.
Michael K
March 25, 2025 at 7:44 pm
I’ve always respected Jolly for his rational intellect, fierce independence, and principles. Imagine: principles! I think he’s an interesting choice for many NPAs, independents, and “Republicans” who find the Musk/Trump/MAGA cocktail too revolting and un-American. And yes, I think he would find support from Democrats. It’s early, but I think he’d shake things up.
Positive mike
March 25, 2025 at 11:39 pm
Other than us political nerds, has any Floridans ever heard of him? He’s a Republican in Florida who served one and a quarter term in congress.This dude was the General Counsel for Congressman Bill Young. And in January 2014 he won a special election to succeed Young…which Im sure Young helped with. Then he won a solid term in October of the same year ( 2014)…the voters didnt know much about him yet. Then in 2016 after serving his only full term, he was defeated by Charlie Christ who had just switched to Democrat…seemingly just to beat him. After that he just got on cable T V and started slamming Trump. The liberal media put him on …they liked that, then he annouced he left the Republican Party. This guy is just a slick lawyer and lobbyist who learned how to pjay the game and dont believe in anything really. Had he been a city commissioner or something at some time maybe I’d feel differently. But this guy is just a slick phony.. salesman who no body knows outside of cable news political nerds….but it’s paid off for him. Governor? Not. This guy lost to Charlie Christ who DeSantis beat by 20 points. Get a grip.
Diddy Ever
March 26, 2025 at 6:10 am
“But we don’t have a multiparty system in the U.S.”
There are 16 political parties in Florida. SIXTEEN!
We certainly do have a multiparty system. What we don’t have is a body politic that can be gulled into giving its allegiance to a passel of radical wingnuts who can’t get their noses out of 19th Century communist literature. Whether you call them Greens or Forwards or Libertarians or anarchists, they’re all the same: wheel spinners who spend their declining years wondering why the rest of America cannot understand how morally upright they are.
Jolly doesn’t know what he is talking about. Did he ever?