Republican turncoat announces Democrat bid for Florida governor’s seat

On Thursday, a former Republican turned Democrat in Florida announced his gubernatorial run for 2026. David Jolly, who represented the Tampa Bay area in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2014 to 2017, is looking to take term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis’ position in the heavily red state of Florida.

Asked about his turn to the Democratic Party in an interview with CBS Miami, Jolly explained that he was an independent until only recently. “I bring a different value set. Even when I was in Congress as a Republican, I supported marriage equality, gun control, climate science, campaign finance reform.”

“I struggled to exercise those values in the Republican Party,” Jolly reportedly said. “The actual registration as a Democrat wasn’t a pivot. It was a kind of formality.”

RELATED: DeSantis reacts to Byron Donalds officially entering governor’s race

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Jolly believes that the Democratic Party is the right “vessel” to help him build a coalition in the state of Florida to address his top issue: the "affordability crisis." According to Fox News, Jolly said in a statement, "We have an affordability crisis in Florida driven by an insurance crisis that continues to worsen in the face of complete neglect by Tallahassee. We have abandoned public education, and we’ve allowed corruption to run rampant. It’s time for a change."

Jolly’s challenge to the Republican stronghold and President Donald Trump's home state comes at an uncertain time for the Democratic Party. It has been reported that there are between 1.2 million and 1.3 million more registered Republicans than Democrats in Florida.

"David Jolly is a failed politician, lobbyist, and MSNBC commentator. Soon he’ll be able to add failed gubernatorial candidate to his resume. By switching from Republican to independent to Democrat, Jolly has officially completed his transition to become the next Charlie Crist,” Ryan Smith, chief strategist for the Byron Donalds campaign, told Blaze News.

Smith was not the only one to draw this comparison to Charlie Crist. Crist served as Florida’s Republican governor from 2007 to 2011, but is better known as Ron DeSantis’ Democrat gubernatorial opponent in the 2022 race. Crist likewise changed his platform and party membership, but was handily defeated by DeSantis by 19 points.

As it stands, the Democratic primary is open, with many other potential candidates expressing wariness about the chances of turning the state blue. Trump-endorsed Florida Rep. Byron Donalds currently leads the Republican side.

“[David Jolly] is completely out of touch with Florida's voters and our values,” Rep. Donalds told Blaze News. “Florida is Trump country, and I am proudly endorsed by President Trump to be Florida's next governor. As governor, I will fight side by side with President Trump to protect Florida families and Make America Great Again.”

Rumors suggest former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) and Florida first lady Casey DeSantis may also throw their hats in the ring.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated after publication to include comment from Rep. Byron Donalds and the chief strategist for the Byron Donalds campaign, Ryan Smith.

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