David Jolly
What this job does: Florida's top official. Signs or vetoes the bills the Legislature passes, can cross out single items in the state budget, picks the leaders of most state agencies, and appoints judges from short lists a commission sends. Leads the response to hurricanes and other emergencies. A term is four years, two in a row at most.
- Occupation
- Attorney and television political analyst; former member of Congress
Background
- Earned a bachelor's degree from Emory University and a law degree from George Mason University School of Law. source: ballotpedia.org
- Represented Florida's 13th Congressional District in the U.S. House as a Republican from March 2014 to January 2017; lost the 2016 general election to Charlie Crist. source: ballotpedia.org
- Served in 2022 as executive director of the Serve America Movement, which merged into the Forward Party that year. source: ballotpedia.org
- Left the Republican Party and is running for governor as a Democrat; launched the campaign in June 2025. source: davidjolly.com
- Won the Democratic nomination for governor in the August 18, 2026 primary. source: wusf.org
In their own words
What the candidate says they will work on, from their campaign site or their answers to news-outlet questionnaires. We list it as stated and do not rate it.
- Housing and affordability source: davidjolly.com
- Lower home insurance premiums source: davidjolly.com
- Health care and public education source: davidjolly.com
- One-year statewide moratorium on data centers source: axios.com
- Environment, including keeping offshore drilling out of the Gulf source: davidjolly.com
Look them up yourself
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Something wrong or missing? This profile was compiled from public sources on October 15, 2026. Every fact links to where it came from.