Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds is a “weak politician trying to fool you,” according to the latest ad from Democrat David Jolly.
The spot, titled “Tough,” will air in Florida’s five biggest TV markets and will be backed up by what the campaign says is a seven-figure ad buy.
Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Remo Butler, who was the first Black Special Forces General, makes the case against the Naples Congressman in the 30-second spot.
“I don’t care that Byron Donalds was arrested for selling drugs and felony theft,” Butler says. “What troubles me is that Byron is a hypocrite. Byron received a diversion program for his drug arrest, but in Congress he refused to extend that grace to other young men.”
Donalds’ brushes with the law are well documented at this point. He was arrested in 1997 for marijuana possession while attending FAMU, and the charge was ultimately dismissed through diversion. He told CBS Miami he was also dealing at the time, “for a period of time, low level amounts.” And his 2000 felony theft case resulted in probation, restitution and expungement.
Given that leniency, critics have taken aim at his support for the D.C. CRIMES Act, which would cap eligibility for D.C.’s youth offender law at 18. That law lets judges give offenders up to 24 more flexible sentences and seal their convictions.
Donalds has acknowledged criminal incidents in his past and says he has grown in the decades since.
“There is a lot of decision I wish I could redo from those early years,” he told CBS Miami.
“Eighteen, 19, and 20 were really tough years for me. Made a lot bad decisions that I regret. But in life, you’re not who you are at the lowest point in your life. What you do is you decide to just push forward and try to make sure you make better decisions in the future. And I would tell people, if you examine my life since 20 years old, my life has really been a story of redemption.”
Donalds has also said there is no inconsistency between his law-and-order position in Congress and his own arrests as a young man.
“Florida’s law has never allowed an adult to be charged as a minor,” he said.
“Let me be very clear about what Florida’s diversion law actually does. Florida’s diversion law allows an individual to complete a work day program instead of facing a marijuana possession charge, which could potentially lead to 60 days or up to a year in county jail under a state misdemeanor. Furthermore, Florida law allows you to go back and seal that record once your community service is complete, your time has been served, and your debt has been paid.”
A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski
October 14, 2026 at 11:49 am
Donalds’s next big mistake was becoming a Republican. And every day the news makes that error more glaring.
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October 14, 2026 at 12:05 pm
I’m pretty sure felony convictions are prerequisite for American government positions.
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October 14, 2026 at 1:05 pm
You have the Twitter link for the Jolly ad but that’s okay, it’s on Bluesky as well. Haven’t used Twitter in years.
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