Janelle Irwin Taylor
A Republican convert ran in 2022 for Florida Governor and lost by historic margins. Now, Democrats have a new convert potentially hoping to flip that script in 2026.
David Jolly, a former Republican U.S. Congressman in Florida’s 13th Congressional District who left the GOP amid his distaste for President Donald Trump, has now registered as a Democrat. He’s also launched a political committee, Florida 2026, ahead of what many expect to be a gubernatorial bid, as POLITICO first reported Thursday.
Until Wednesday, Jolly had been registered to vote without political affiliation, and he has spent his time out of elected office advocating for a variety of efforts that buck the nation’s two-party system. He also found national prominence as a frequent commentator on the left-leaning MSNBC network.
He served as Executive Director of the Serve America Movement in 2020 and as one of the co-founders of the Forward Party in 2022.
Jolly first began exploring a run for Governor last month, when he began meeting with Democratic clubs across the state. That includes the Legislative Black Caucus, a heavily Democrat-leaning group of elected officials.
“I’ve considered myself a proud member of the Democratic Coalition for years now,” Jolly told Florida Politics at the time. “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.”
Now, it seems Jolly has ruled out running as a no-party candidate. His registration as a Democrat is happening in time to run on the party’s ticket in the 2026 election.
If he runs, he’ll attempt to do what former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist could not. Crist served as Governor before Rick Scott and attempted a return to office in 2022, losing by an embarrassing 19 points to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Ironically, it was Crist who unseated Jolly from Congress in 2016 after redistricting shifted CD 13 further south, drawing in more Democrats when Jolly was a Republican. His defeat came just two years after being elected. Crist left Congress ahead of his 2022 Governor’s race, after the district shifted back north again and again handed the advantage to the GOP. Conservative Anna Paulina Luna now represents the district.
After his service in Congress, Jolly dumped the GOP to become an independent in 2018. In addition to MSNBC, he has also provided commentary for Time, USA Today, Roll Call, The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, NBC and the Tampa Bay Times.
A new website launched in coordination with Jolly’s creation of a PC and his party switch. Its home page announces the committee as an effort “to engage in voter outreach and research work focused on key issues in the Sunshine State.”
Those issues include solving the state’s affordability and insurance crisis; saving schools; increasing access to state universities; restoring reproductive freedom; improving the state economy; campaign finance and ethics reform; climate resiliency, clean water and ocean economy; restoring services for veterans; reducing gun violence; and creating a Florida for all.
The list of issues reads like a campaign platform.
The site includes a signup to receive “text message updates” from the committee. It also provides links to contribute to the committee and to register to vote.
6 comments
KathrynA
April 24, 2025 at 9:34 am
I would appreciate a common sense, caring and not corrupted person to vote for–one who understands the needs of Floridians and has walked away from MAGA craziness!
Larry Gillis, Libertarian
April 24, 2025 at 9:35 am
IS IT EVOLUTION, OR IS IT AMBITION?
The usual analysis of “Party-Shoppers” is bipolar, as in: (a) is this move evolutionary, as the politician-in-question matures in his thinking (“HURRAY”), or (b) is this evidence of raw, pulsating ambition (“BOO”) ?
Frankly, I don’t care what gets this Pol (or any other Pol) outta bed in the morning. We should appreciate that his personal ambition (if any) can be the driver behind many extremely useful accomplishments for the rest of us. I mean, watching an earthworm feed itself while it is crawling underground can be pretty disgusting, but the net effect is that the dirt gets processed and we get to grow stuff.
Our duty in this case is to look at the ideas that he generates while feeding his ambition (if that’s what he is doing). If we subject them to rigorous scrutiny and then decide to make some use of them (or not), we have all benefitted.
So, with all due disclaimers: thanks, David.
Mind the gap (and carry on).
Larry Gillis, Libertarian
Maria Ruiz
April 24, 2025 at 9:50 am
Democrats are the party that has turned anti-women (letting bio men invade our female spaces and ruin our sports) and anti-worker (letting China and globalists have our jobs as well as millions of illegals thrown into our area, taking the jobs, driving up rents, food costs, education costs, health costs). Democrats have no one but purple haired freaks left.
PeterH
April 24, 2025 at 10:07 am
Fox poll has Trump’s disapproval at 55% and PEW has Trump’s disapproval at 59%. In the past two months Congressional generic polling leans Democrat in every single poll. Stay tuned!
JD
April 24, 2025 at 10:10 am
This is just culture war nonsense mixed with economic scapegoating. Let’s break it down:
1.) “Anti-women” – Trans people aren’t an invasion. Most major sports organizations, like the NCAA, already have rules in place. This is fear-based distraction.
2.) “Anti-worker” – It’s billionaires and multinational CEOs offshoring jobs, not immigrants or Democrats. Both parties are guilty of catering to corporate donors.
3.) “China and globalists” – It was corporate MBAs chasing cheap labor that moved jobs overseas. Not everyday voters, not immigrants.
4.) “Illegals taking jobs and raising costs” – Most undocumented workers do jobs Americans avoid. Rents, food, education, and healthcare are rising because of corporate price gouging and housing shortages, not immigration.
5.) “Purple haired freaks” – That’s just name-calling, not a policy position.
You want to help workers? Aim at the billionaires buying both parties, not the people trying to survive. Do you really believe the drivel you just spouted would actually help people? Show me how you connect the dots to it doing so.
JB
April 24, 2025 at 10:54 am
This great news for Florida!!!