Former Republican Congressman David Jolly left the GOP amid the rise of the MAGA movement over six years ago. Now, he’s switched his party affiliation to Democrat and has announced he will be running for Florida Governor in 2026.
On the top floor of the Governor’s Club a block from the state capitol in Tallahassee, Jolly held meetings with members of the press to make his pitch for why he should be Florida’s top executive.
“I'm running for governor of the state of Florida because we are in a generational affordability crisis that's impacting every Floridian from every region and every socioeconomic bracket and every partisan affiliation,” he said. “The affordability crisis is impacting access to housing, the ability to stay in one's home. I think people are anxious considering whether they can stay in Florida. I think Republicans in Tallahassee have largely contributed to the crisis and refused to do anything that will actually address it.”
Jolly was first elected as a Republican in congress representing Pinellas in 2014 but was unseated by fellow Republican-turned Democrat Charlie Crist in 2016. Since then, he registered as an NPA and was a political contributor on MSNBC.
Republicans have called him the “TEMU Charlie Crist,” meaning they view him as an off brand to Crist’s unsuccessful 2022 gubernatorial run. But Jolly said he’s planning to run a different style campaign than his predecessors that looks to build a big-tent, party hopping coalition.
“Show me a Democrat that has that is that has gotten up every day and talked about the affordability crisis with real solutions, and show me a Democrat that has been in every community around the state, red communities, purple communities, blue communities, and said ‘I have solutions for the affordability crisis, and this is what they look like.’ I haven't seen that candidate,” he said.
Jolly isn’t the only candidate who has switched political parties recently. Former Democratic State Senate Leader Jason Pizzo switched party registration to NPA and has filed to run for governor. He has also publicly said he believes the Democratic Party is dead.
Jolly said he respects Pizzo for following his political convictions, but disagrees with his strategy and thinks Pizzo’s NPA bid is doomed.
“I think he is wrong to suggest that Democrats can't lead a coalition of change. I think, having spent so much time in the independent space, I am fully convinced that an independent cannot win the governorship in ‘26 in the state of Florida,” he said. “But my job is not to try to convince Jason Pizzo about his decision or John Morgan about his: my job is to build a coalition where I reach those independent voters that are disaffected.”
During his announcement interview, Jolly also discussed several things he would do in office, including launching reviews for every state board or agency appointment that Governor Ron DeSantis has made. He believes the governor has made appointments based on allegiance, not merit.
“It is in plain sight that Ron DeSantis has appointed ideologues or done political favors. That is, that is indisputable, that that's how he has run the administration,” he said. “I want to return subject matter experts to areas that require subject matter expertise. I don’t care their partisan affiliation. They might be a Republican or an Independent, or Democrat, I don't care. I want subject matter experts in places where subject matter expertise betters the state,” he said.
There are over a million more registered Republicans than Democrats in Florida now, and Republicans have dominated in the last several elections, winning over swaths of NPA voters. Jolly, or whoever the Democratic nominee ends up being, will have to make significant inroads with NPA voters to put the governor’s race in play in 2026.