David Jolly to raise funds in St. Pete with support from local Dems

Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly^[1] will be in St. Pete next week raising funds for his 2026 race as more Democrats eye the race.

Jolly, a former Republican who served in Florida’s 13th Congressional District, will be at a fundraiser at Grand Central Brewing next Friday from 5:30-7 p.m. Hosting the event are former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, former state Rep. Ben Diamond, Ruth’s List CEO Christina Diamond, lawyer Joe Saunders, and LGBTQ+ activist Ed Lally and his partner, Phil Dinkins.

Suggested donations for the event range from $250 for “guest” status up to $10,000 to chair the event. Jolly’s campaign can only accept donations of up to $3,000 each. But his political committee, Florida 2026, can accept higher amounts.

In an email blast this week, Kriseman hyped the fundraiser.

“Since he announced his candidacy for the Governor’s seat, I’ve seen David speak on several occasions. Plain and simple — He Gets It,” Kriseman wrote.

“David understands the challenges facing our state, but more importantly, he understands the challenges facing us (as) citizens of this state — from the cost of Property Insurance and Auto Insurance, to the cost of homeownership, to the lack of funding in public education, David understands that for too long, our state elected officials have failed to focus on making Florida more affordable. He also understands the benefits to our state that come with a more balanced government. One where no one single party, Republican OR Democrat, control all aspects of state government.”

With a voter registration advantage now looming well above 1 million voters for Republicans, Jolly is banking on his experience as a former Republican and with no party affiliation appealing to moderate voters or so-called “soft” Republicans who may be disenchanted with the far-right direction the party has taken in recent years.

Jolly registered as a Democrat^[2] in April, before announcing his bid for Governor. He left the Republican Party in 2018 amid frustration with President Donald Trump’s MAGA conservatism.

Jolly’s platform aims to address aspects that Republican voters value, including property tax relief and reform, property insurance reforms, ongoing access to educational choice, and affordable health care. And it addresses the pocketbook issues that are suffocating Floridians regardless of party affiliation.

Democrats account for less than 32% of Florida voters, while Republicans account for more than 38%. In the middle are Jolly’s people, the nonpartisan voters who comprise more than 27% of the state electorate, according to the most recent L2 voter data^[3].

While Jolly is so far the only mainstream Democrat in the race for Governor, others are expected to join. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is rumored to be considering a bid^[4]. U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz has also pondered a bid, as has state Sen. Shevrin Jones.

And even if Jolly survives the Democratic Primary, he could face a big challenge in the General Election, with state Sen. Jason Pizzo, a former Democrat, planning to run as an independent candidate. That threatens to split the centrist vote and help the eventual Republican nominee.

Jolly’s political committee has already raised nearly $489,000^[5] and his campaign has banked nearly $550,000^[6], giving Jolly a jump on fundraising ahead of a filled-out Democratic Primary.

But that fundraising activity still puts him way behind U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican running with support from President Donald Trump. Donalds has raised nearly $22.6 million through his committee alone.

Still, Kriseman believes Jolly represents what’s been missing in recent years from Florida politics.

“A few words come to mind when I think of David Jolly — centrist, moderate, pragmatic, thoughtful, reasonable, intelligent, passionate, caring. These words, these traits, would serve us as Floridians well. They have been missing from our state government for too long. It’s time to bring them back,” Kriseman wrote.

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