David Jolly, best known for spending one term in Congress as a Republican, became the first Democrat to announce a bid for Florida governor ahead of the 2026 elections.

An avid critic of President Donald Trump, Jolly represented Florida’s 13th Congressional District as a Republican from 2014 to 2017 before becoming an independent and later registering as a Democrat this year. He was long expected to make a gubernatorial bid and had launched a political committee in April ahead of the anticipated announcement.