Florida has a real problem and it has nothing to do with what’s in the school library or who’s performing at a drag show. It has to do with the fact that insurance is unaffordable, housing is unaffordable, utilities are unaffordable, and healthcare is inaccessible — and the people running the state have been too busy fighting culture wars to do a single damn thing about any of it.
David Jolly gets this. He was a Republican congressman who left the party because he couldn’t stomach what it became. He’s running for governor as a Democrat in 2026 on a platform that sounds radical only because it involves actually governing: a state catastrophic fund to take hurricane coverage off the private market and reduce insurance premiums by 60 to 70 percent. Bringing in clean, renewable energy to lower utility costs. Expanding Medicaid so Floridians can see a doctor. Real stuff. Stuff that affects real people.
The Banned In Florida Club Endorses
David Jolly for Florida Governor
Democratic candidate · Primary: August 18, 2026 · General: November 3, 2026
He’s been endorsed by 60 current and former Florida Democratic officials, by Gwen Graham — daughter of the last Democratic governor Florida had — and by editorial boards who called him “a reality-based candidate.” He appeals to disaffected Republicans and independents because he actually is one. His slogan is “Believe in Florida’s Future.” He means it.
Now let’s talk about what he’s running against.
Byron Donalds is running for governor of Florida while simultaneously refusing to close his congressional campaign committee. The FEC told him the money had to go back. He said no.
Byron Donalds — Trump’s endorsed candidate — is a man whose entire political career has been a performance for a base that demands loyalty above all else. He voted to reject the certified 2020 election results from Arizona and Pennsylvania in the hours after the Capitol was attacked. He called Joe Biden “not the legitimate president” as recently as 2023. He is not a Florida-first candidate. He is a Trump-first candidate wearing a Florida suit.
But it gets more specific. Donalds has voted in Congress to lease more public lands and waters for oil drilling, to fast-track fossil fuels over clean energy, to open the Arctic Refuge to drilling, and for a bill the League of Conservation Voters literally called the “Polluters Over People Act.” His district is on the Gulf Coast of Southwest Florida. The people he represents fish those waters. They vacation on those beaches. And he voted to put oil rigs in them.
He did eventually sign a letter opposing drilling near Eglin Air Force Base — but only because it interferes with military test ranges. Not because he gives a damn about Florida’s coastline. The moment there’s no military angle, he’s back to voting for drilling.
The Byron Donalds Dossier
- Voted to reject 2020 election results from Arizona and Pennsylvania — hours after the Capitol attack
- Called Joe Biden “not the legitimate president” as recently as 2023
- FEC sent his campaign a letter demanding he refund congressional donations collected after announcing his governor run. He refused.
- Voted for H.R. 1 — the “Polluters Over People Act” — opening public lands to oil drilling
- Voted to open the Arctic Refuge to oil and gas drilling
- Voted to fast-track fossil fuel power over clean energy
- Said Black people were “doing better under Jim Crow” — then had to walk it back
- Endorsed by Donald Trump — which tells you everything about whose interests he serves
Florida has a Democratic primary on August 18, 2026. David Jolly is in it. If you are a Florida voter, a Florida resident, or someone who gives a damn what happens to a state that 22 million people call home — this is who you should be watching, talking about, and voting for.
We don’t need another politician who shows up for donors and disappears for constituents. Florida needs someone who will actually govern. Jolly is it. The Banned In Florida Club is behind him. Get loud about it.