Up-to-Date Information, Close to the Community.
Republican Congressman Byron Donalds holds a roughly four-point lead over Democratic candidate David Jolly as public polling throughout August and September 2026 points to a highly competitive Florida governor’s race.
Donalds criticized Jolly’s shifting policy positions on key issues including abortion, immigration, and offshore drilling, framing the changes as political opportunism following Jolly’s transition from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.
“You were pro-choice, then you were pro-life, then you were pro-choice. It was only after you switched parties that you switched your position. This was not a matter of conviction for you; it was for political convenience,” Jolly said.
Donalds pointed to those past comments from a 2016 congressional debate to highlight what he describes as a broader pattern of inconsistency in Jolly’s political career.
“The shift in positions by David Jolly is not because of personal conviction, it is purely because of political convenience,” Donalds said.
Donalds also targeted Jolly’s healthcare record in Congress, contrasting his past opposition to the Affordable Care Act with his current gubernatorial platform supporting healthcare expansion.
“When David Jolly was in Congress, he opposed Obamacare,” Donalds said. “Now trying to run for governor he wants to expand Obamacare in Florida. I mean, these are just some of the complete shifts that we’ve seen in what he stands for.”
Addressing Jolly’s history following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Donalds noted that Jolly’s former lobbying firm represented a client advocating for offshore drilling legislation in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of America, David Jolly went and became a lobbyist for more oil drilling off the coast of Florida, that is a fact and so what we’re seeing is a history of somebody who does everything possible, will say whatever, will be paid by whomever that are only in the interest of David Jolly,” Donalds said.
Donalds further questioned Jolly’s refusal to participate in additional televised debates, arguing that his opponent is avoiding direct accountability on the campaign trail.
“Now he’s ducking debates,” Donalds said. “He won’t debate me because he knows that on a debate stage, I will hold him accountable for these things.”
Donalds emphasized that his campaign will continue focusing on Jolly’s party registration and policy shifts in the final weeks leading up to Election Day.
“What you find with David Jolly is somebody who’s done a complete 180 simply to run for office again and to gain relevance again and the people of Florida simply cannot trust David Jolly because we cannot afford David Jolly’s flip-flopping when it comes to the great state of Florida,” Donalds said.
Political analysts note that Donalds maintains a significant financial advantage, with $120.9 million raised across affiliated committees compared to Jolly’s $14.6 million, alongside a statewide Republican registration advantage of 1.55 million voters.
“Byron’s been all over the place. He’s had different types of ads,” Towery said. “I think he’s not been seen as Florida-centric enough.
And he certainly has made every effort now to talk about the issues that face Florida. But he’s got to really put the pedal to the metal because he has a more difficult job here. Jolly is an established candidate.
Many look at him as a moderate.”
Insider Advantage pollster Matt Towery stated that Donalds faces a challenging campaign landscape despite his party’s structural edge in Florida.
“Will it be close? It can be very close. It could be sort of like the thing we saw with the DeSantis and Gillum, you know? So that was a nail-biter,” Towery said.
With forty days remaining until the November 3 election, Florida voters face an October 5 voter registration deadline and the start of mandatory early voting on October 24.
Byron Donalds Leads David Jolly as Florida Governor Race Tightens – SuaraGarut.ID
