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Former Pinellas County Rep. David Jolly registers as a Democrat, close to possible Florida governor run

David Jolly
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Former U.S. Representative David Jolly has registered as a Democrat and said that he is considering a possible run for Florida Governor.

Jolly posted the announcement on social media.

Excited today to be a registered Florida Democrat, and to launch Florida 2026. To learn more and to support, head to davidjolly.com. Florida's next chapter starts today.[image or embed]

— David Jolly (@davidjolly.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 7:10 AM

Jolly was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 13th district in Pinellas County from 2014 to 2017. He lost his re-election bid for the seat in 2016 to Charlie Crist. Since then, he has been a political analyst for various print and television publications.

Jolly has also formed a political committee called Florida 2026 to "engage in voter outreach and research work focused on key issues in the Sunshine State."

He said he is close to announcing a gubernatorial run and stated he would need "to genuinely unify and inspire a coalition of Democrats, independents, and common sense Republicans" to do that.

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds announced in February that he is running for governor and has President Trump's endorsement.

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