Jacob Ogles
A new poll shows Republican Byron Donalds with a strong lead over Democrat David Jolly in a potential head-to-head matchup for Governor.
Survey results from the AIF Center for Political Strategy show Donalds would win 49% to Jolly’s 41%. That still leaves Donalds under 50%, but barely, with 11% of voters still undecided.
Support for the Republican contender also seems more solid, with 31% of voters planning to “definitely” back Donalds and 15% “probably” supporting him, while just 26% would “definitely” vote for Jolly and 12% “probably would.
The AIF Center, backed by Associated Industries of Florida, conducted the poll from Aug. 25 through 27. Responses from 800 likely Midterm voters were included, with pollsters reporting a margin of error of 3.5%.
That means Donalds’ lead falls outside the margin.
This poll drops a day after an internal poll released by Jolly’s campaign showed him with a razor-thin 1-percentage-point lead on Donalds.
But Republicans feel confident heading into 2026, as the party enjoys a 1.3-million registered voter advantage over Democrats.
At the moment, Donalds and Jolly remain the most prominent members of their party to have already filed for Governor in 2026.
Donalds, a U.S. Representative endorsed by President Donald Trump, formally launched his campaign in March. He currently faces former state House Speaker Paul Renner in a GOP Primary matchup, as well as six other minor Republican candidates.
Jolly, a former Republican U.S. Representative-turned-MSNBC contributor, meanwhile, launched his campaign in June. Four minor Democrats are also running right now.
