David Jolly gave a crowd of a couple of hundred Democrats something to cheer about in a town hall-style appearance Wednesday evening at Palm Coast United Methodist Church.
“I have proudly shared my affiliation with the Democratic coalition and my alliance with the Democratic Party for the last eight years or so,” the former Republican member of Congress and long-time political analyst for MSNBC told the audience. “It gets better. Ready for this? Because as of about two weeks ago, I’m a proud registered Florida Democrat.”
Two weeks ago he also launched an electoral committee, Florida 2026, and now says he’s “actively considering running for governor.” Based on his polished, carefully calibrated and stump-like appearance in Palm Coast–and based on the rousing response he received–his announcement appears to be a matter of when, not if. His delivery was flawless, confident, and clearly rehearsed. But he was in front of a friendly, at times adoring crowd desperate for a knight. Jolly only happens to be a white one.
He’s is an attorney, a former lobbyist and a former aide to U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, the Republican who died in 2013. Jolly won the special election to replace Young, beating Democrat Alex Sink in a close contest. He described himself as a “Bush 41 Republican” by then who, “by the time I was coming up, the Tea Party wave was already kind of upon us, and I was pushing back against the attack on government.”
In other words he had the misfortune of being a centrist in an increasingly uncentrist party that rewards shrillness over policy or compromise. He entered the race for U.S. Senate two years later, thinking he’d face Ron DeSantis and others, only to withdraw before the filing deadline when Marco Rubio chose to run again.
Jolly contested his congressional seat instead, losing it to Charlie Crist–himself a former Republican. Jolly returned to private practice, quit the Republican Party in 2018, joined MSNBC as an analyst, and this year signaled he was interested in a run for governor in 2026.
He gained national prominence in Congress in December 2015 when, six months after Donald Trump’s elevator descent to his first electoral run, Jolly asked for Trump to withdraw from the race. Days earlier Trump had called for a blanket ban on Muslims’ entry into the United States following a mass shooting in San Bernadino, Calif., even though the shooting was perpetrated by an American citizen who happened to be Muslim, along with his wife (a green card holder from Pakistan).
When an American citizen and his wife, both of Pakistani descent, killed 14 people at a local government Christmas party in San Bernadino, Calif.
“I stood on the House floor and said, Mr. Speaker, I stand here today as a born again Christian, believing in the saving grace of the God that I call my Christ,” Jolly told the crowd at the Methodist church, recalling that signature moment. “And the reason I get to do that today among the Congress and among the country is because of the fundamental freedom and personal protections to people’s religion, to their speech, to their association, to their assembly. And if we start having a litmus test on people’s faith, we’ve abandoned some basic constitutional protections.”
Actually his five-minute speech that day had been a two-pronged attack, one on then-President Barack Obama’s foreign policy and his “forgettable” pledge to take on ISIS, and one on Trump’s proposed Muslim ban.
Of course Jolly did not mention the attack on Obama, which in that crowd would have been taken as an offense greater than if he’d blasphemed the crucifix behind him.
His intention with that congressional moment was also two-pronged (there’s always a bit of studied strategy behind Jolly’s speeches): attacking Trump was the crowd’s red meat. But he was intent on defining himself as an evangelical, born-again Christian in spite of his adopted party affiliation, just as he would later throw markers as a gun-friendly centrist (“responsible gun owners are not the problem”) who wants to “provide for law enforcement.” .
In a state where Republican registrations have surged to a 1.5 million-voter advantage, perhaps only a praying blue dog Democrat has a chance.
“I think it’s okay for Democrats to talk about faith. You’re going to hear me talk about it a little bit,” he said. He talked about it a lot, speaking the word “faith” 20 times in 90 minutes and as if cautioning the Democratic crowd to leave off liberals’ perceived hostility to professed Christianity.
“I’m a preacher’s kid. I’m a person of deep and abiding Christian faith,” Jolly said. “I’m not here to evangelize my personal faith in the public square, but we are in a church, and so I want to say I am not a candidate. I’m not here to advance any partisan agenda, but we’re going to talk about some hard truths about our politics and our political parties, and that’s okay, because we have to talk about that.”
To the crowd’s delight, he then talked as if he were a candidate. He occasionally verged but never quite slipped into Jimmy Carter-style sanctimony as he balanced seriousness with affability. In contrast with the wooden, compulsively hectoring DeSantis, Jolly was almost Reaganesque but for the missing one-liners. He’d immediately made an easy connection with the audience. It never sagged in a town hall that stretched past the 90-minute mark.
“Will not regain authority in government, either in Washington or in Tallahassee or our local communities, by simply being a coalition that is known for what we are against,” he said. It’s important to be against what he called “malfeasance” in leadership and the “wrong direction of the country.”
In cadences and rhetorical thrusts indistinguishable from a political rally, he laid out his idea of a centrist Democratic Party that could regain power by making its values and purpose clearer to the electorate, without going to extremes and by embracing certain values typically associated with–or co-opted by–the Republican Party: “We are the party that believes in an economy for all people,” he said. “We are the party that believes that government can work and serve our veterans and our seniors and our marginalized communities and those in need. We are the party that believes in standing up and restoring dignity to all people, regardless of who they worship or who they love or where they came from.”
He was interrupted by applause.
“We are the party that can be tough on crime regardless if the person is a US citizen, an immigrant or a Tallahassee politician,” he continued. More applause. “But we can also be the party that lifts up and embraces everybody from every walk of life, wherever you came from, and recognizes and celebrates your contribution to our economy and to our culture. We can do both.” Applause. “We can be a coalition that says we believe in science and vaccines and medicine.” Applause. “We believe there is a role of government in providing for the public health. And here’s a crazy one. We believe in public education.” Rousing applause. “It sounds crazy. We trust teachers.”
In parry after parry against the Legislature’s and DeSantis’s recent assaults on Black history, LGBTQ rights, gender rights and the freedom to read, Jolly got his loudest applause as his speech turned full stump: “We want to empower teachers to teach our children. We want to pay teachers more. We want more funding for more public schools and more neighborhoods with more teachers working more. It is not a threat to our 6-year-old and 4-year-old children to be exposed to a diversity, a rich diversity of thought and academia.” (He and his wife, Laura Donoahoe, have two children, 6 and 4.
The event was organized by local Democrats led by Heather Beavan, herself a former congressional candidate, as part of Jolly’s frequent town halls around the state as he gauges a run for governor. Barbara Goss, the retired CIA analyst and long-time affiliate of the NAACP, was the moderator.
“My friends, you are the secret sauce to a healthy, functioning democracy,” Beavan told the audience. “And tonight, we have gathered not to talk about politics, but to talk about policy,” Beavan said. She is writing a book about her friendship with George McGovern, the 1972 Democratic Party presidential nominee. “It is shocking to me how many issues and talking points have remained unchanged. I regret to inform you, politics is about sound bites. But here’s the good news for us here tonight: policy is about substance.”
There were more speeches than substance, even when almost two dozen people asked questions, but substance occasionally broke through, as when Colleen Conklin, Flagler County’s former school board member, gave Jolly a verbal policy manual to draw back what she described as the state’s $4 billion private-education voucher system at public expense (he asked her to be on his policy committee), or when a couple of rare young people in the crowd wanted to know how Jolly would bring back younger generations into a party that hemorrhaged in Trump’s favor in the last election.
“Dropping any one of us in front of a podcast isn’t going to do it,” Jolly said, but town halls like the one he was holding then and there might. Organizing would, and, most of all, starting a campaign now, rather than a few months before an election, would.
“The only way we bring back a coalition that can truly win is by starting early, starting now, as though the campaign is only two weeks away,” Jolly said. “We can’t wait until next time. We have to build a coalition that is broad and deep, that has stakeholders and evangelists in every community across the state, geographically, socio-economically, demographically, every subject matter space that says: I believe that there’s a coalition willing to fight for me, whether I’m a young person, a retiree, whatever my age, whatever my walk of life. I see in this coalition a set of values where I know we’re going to be fighting together to lift everybody up, and that includes me, even if I’m 18 years old.”
That’s why Jolly’s claim that he was merely exploring a run for governor was just a technicality. He’s campaigning.
Laurel says
I’ve watched Jolly off and on over the years, and as an Independent, I like the idea of a centrist from either side of the isle. Go, Jolly! I like him.
Nice costume says
This man has no chance in getting enough votes. He is a wishy washy RINO turned Democrat. I wonder what he would say that he has in common as a “born again” Christian with a democratic party that pushes gun control, abortion, transgender shows for kids, and war. He is so fake it’s funny.
Deborah Coffey says
Hooray! You’ve got my vote, David. Thank you for actually caring deeply about the people in Florida and the rest of the country. With you as governor, we will be able to have our lives and freedoms back…and put an end to the ugly Fascist takeover of our beautiful state.
Atwp says
Well, well, well, a former Republican. Can’t be too bad, Trump is a former Democrat. We will see what happens next. Hopefully enough Democrats will vote to put a Democratic Governor in office. Come on Democrats we got to start voting so we can win more races. We’ve got to do this, we can, but will we?
Purveyor of Truth says
Is the Palm Coast United Methodist Church a Democrat Party institution? The IRS is watching.
BIG Neighbor says
I’m thrilled to see a community of good folks gathering in “his name”. But separation of Church and State is being lost. Throwing faith into this is a challenging context as it may come off to cheapen what is not political and never should be. I’d hate to see an escalation of using Christ as a brand. Instead, call out those that worship their party instead of their maker that is in each of us. That would be sensible leadership. Call out the toxic negative fear that is clouding mindsets, hearts and souls. Call out marketing hate instead of love through messaging.
Mark says
“But he was intent on defining himself as an evangelical, born-again Christian in spite of his adopted party affiliation, …”
So Democrats are not Christians or other religions? The same could be said about Republicans party affiliation, not all Republicans follow Christianity or any religion.
Just a thought says
Just another Charlie Christ. Another republican coming to the Democrats for votes. Where are the strong bottom to the top Democrats? We need better Democrats than this guy to beat whatever sham the Republicans are going to put up in 2026. And make no mistake, the Republican sham put up has 100% better opportunity to win than any half ass Democrat coming into the race.
Pat Stote says
I Iove, love, love David Jolly. He will make Florida PROUD. I hope he comes to South Florida to campaign. So happy to read this first thing in the morning
FlaglerLive says
Churches routinely rent their space for non-religious functions, including community meetings, concerts, political functions and elections, when several churches in this community become voting precincts, just as public schools rent their space for innumerable functions, church services included. It is notably different from churches–like Parkview, for example–using their services for political ends, though the IRS has decided that Parkview, among others, are now free to do so.
What Else Is New says
David Jolly is a refreshing change from what has been offered. He has my vote. He’ll be running against Ron DeSantis via Casey Charity Fraud DeSantis.
The dude says
Meh… the old tribals of Floriduh will flock to MAGA again, and go back to groaning, bitching, and moaning about the direct consequences of their past decades of voting.
Then here, they’ll probably put little eddie danko and joe mullins back in office.
The more things change, the more things stay the same.
I guess at the end of the day, his chances will be directly proportional to the anger of the Hispanics in South Floriduh. You know the ones that voted MAGA for horrible things to happen to others, but now see it unleashed in their own communities.
Michael J Cocchiola says
I am very encouraged. David Jolly is prepared to run. He is eloquent, personable, knowledgeable, and experienced.
Jolly is also politically well-positioned to build the alliance he highlighted several times. He’ll need to rally NPAs and regretful Republicans to his side. Most important, though, will be Democrats. He’ll have to lift them out of their barcaloungers, dig them out of their retirement castles, and get them to the polls.
And then there’s the younger crowd. They need to hear speeches in their language that speak to their specific concerns.
It’s a long, rough road ahead for any Democrat. I believe David Jolly can win.
Laurel says
Instead of worrying about whether Jolly is Christian, a Republican or a Democrat, how about paying attention to how he feels about the constituents, and the State of Florida? Stop jumping to conclusions before knowing what the man is about. You may be missing on a good politician.
Pogo says
@Mr. Jolly
… would be an outstanding governor; but we are stranded in a state where the majority of voters’ mentation is the equivalent of an infected victim in HBO/MAX’s Last Of Us, and/or the pod people in The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers.
If divided by single issue perfectionism, the fungus/pod people will claim everything and everyone; it damned near has already.
Live on your knees for a while longer — or stand together and fight. If you’ve got nothing worth dying for — what are you living for? Are you even still alive?
GOP to the cc camps! says
It’s gonna cost a lot to undo every one of the orange stains unthoughful policies and reestablish a functional government. Do we shut the concentration camps down or send the republican terrorists there first? Also racist Ron and the cult will spend millions of your tax dollars to make up lies about any opposition. Welcome to fascism!
The dude says
Will he spend hundreds of millions to fly immigrants from other states to other states, then battle his own legislature (and party) over projected budget shortfalls?
If not, that’s a good start.
Purveyor of Truth says
Walking a fine line.
Under IRS rules, 501(c)(3) organizations, including churches, are prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. This includes activities that could be seen as endorsing or opposing a candidate.
Ron says
Another politician trying to reinvent himself!
What has he done when he was in office prior? Have you even ask him questions?
Will he allow open borders? Is he a tax and spend politician? Will he protect our neighborhoods from transient vacation rentals operations? Governor D did!
Does anyone have any common sense? Our country needs leaders not people that switch party affiliation just for votes.
Just looking at the turnout it is not hard to pick out people in that picture that would be happy voting for a president that could not hold a reasonable conversation let alone having our country nuclear codes. Anybody but our present president should be their motto.
Mike P says
Much more like something to LAUGH about!! Jolly good joke!
Larry says
Another flip flopper that might be running for Florida governor is Jason Pizzo, who recently left the Democrat party. Seems there was some infighting going on in the Dem ranks and Mr Pizzo left in an uproar with some mud slinging. Pizzo is now considering running for governor as an independent.
Mr Pizzo will likely split votes with the other flip flopper, Mr Jolly, if they both make it to the general election. Jolly becoming a Dem might have been one of the reasons Pizzo left the Dem party in an uproar, as they both seemed to be aiming for the Dem nomination for Governor.
There is discussion of John Morgan, of Morgan and Morgan Law, running 3rd party for Florida governor. THAT would be interesting, since Mr Morgan has statewide recognition.
Samuel L. Bronkowitz says
Check out his politics before you vote for him, he’s a Republican with a D by his name.
Skibum says
I hope Jolly garners enough support to have an affective challenge, and maybe even a chance in hell to win the governorship of this backwards, GOP gerrymandered Podunk landmass we accurately refer to as Flori-DUH. At this point, after so many years of govie desanctimonious and the horrible before him republican fraudster that led the private health insurance company which defrauded Medicare of multiple millions of dollars… I would be willing to vote for a turnip over ANY more republi-CONS!
Laurel says
Some here refer to “flip flop” candidates. Considering Trump has changed party association not once, but five times, that may be something to consider. Actually, American businesses (and other world businesses) have no idea whether Trump will change his mind on any subject affecting them, at 3:00 am, on any given day, therefore companies not knowing how to proceed. However, I have listened to Jolly for sometime now, and am comfortable with him.
Cmon man says
If he wins my 6 month old can have that sex change she really wants and keeps asking me for
Carol says
He is coming to the Democratic Party to steal votes from a true Democratic candidate. We can not fall for his shenanigans. You want to see how he truly feels, go look at his deep rooted opinions of President Obama and his tone within the opinion. You know! Vote for a true Democratic that truly have our values and not looking at us as “If I can only skin off a % of their votes” We are not for sale