Donalds, Jolly to face off to replace DeSantis in Florida
The Hill · C · trust 32/100
Comments: by Caroline Vakil - 08/18/26 8:03 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Caroline Vakil - 08/18/26 8:03 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and former Florida Rep. David Jolly, a Republican-turned-Democrat, are projected to face off in the Florida governor’s race this fall to replace Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Donalds defeated 10 other Republicans for the GOP gubernatorial nod while Jolly defeated five Democrats. DeSantis, a former 2024 GOP presidential hopeful, is term-limited and cannot run again.
Once seen as a swing state, Florida hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide since 2018 when Nikki Fried, the Florida Democratic Party chair, won agriculture commissioner. The last time a Democrat won the Sunshine State at the presidential level was in 2012 under former President Obama.
But it’s been even longer — more than three decades — since Florida’s elected a Democrat as its top executive, when Democrat Lawton Chiles narrowly won a second term against Republican Jeb Bush.
Florida in recent years, particularly since 2016, has become the national epicenter of the GOP, producing several top GOP presidential hopefuls, including Trump, Bush and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Donalds is seen as a rising star within the GOP, having served in his Southwest Florida House seat since 2021 and positioned himself as one of the president’s most staunch allies, including backing Trump’s 2024 White House bid over DeSantis. Donalds served in the Florida state House prior to Congress.
Jolly, a former Republican, served in the House between 2014 and 2017, later leaving the GOP in 2018 . He became an independent after becoming a prominent critic of the president. He later switched to become a Democrat.
While Florida Democrats have notably flipped some GOP-held seats in the last year or two, the party faces an uphill battle in Florida. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates the Florida governor’s race “solid Republican.”
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