David Jolly will headline the sold-out Suncoast Tiger Bay Club’s Aug. 25 event at the St. Petersburg Museum of History (335 2nd Avenue  NE), joined by moderator Joe Hamilton ­– publisher of the St. Pete Catalyst and this new political platform, Poliverse.

In the civic forum, Jolly will address pressing issues facing Florida – providing a rare chance to hear from the governor hopeful in a live setting where leaders and citizens convene across the spectrum, laying the groundwork for St. Pete and Florida’s future.

Jolly entered politics through Congressman Bill Young, serving as his general counsel. The job gave him a lawyer’s view of Capitol Hill – contracts, compliance and the day-to-day mechanics that keep a congressional office running.

When Young died in 2013, Jolly moved from staff to candidate. He won the 2014 special election for Florida’s 13th District, holding the seat for Republicans in a closely watched race. His time in Congress was short. The district flipped in 2016, favoring Charlie Crist over Jolly.

That same year, Jolly briefly pursued a Senate seat, but Marco Rubio reversed his stance and decided to run for reelection, ending that campaign before it gained momentum. The episode highlighted the limits of Jolly’s reach inside the party, and left him without a clear path forward.

After leaving office, Jolly turned to the media as a political commentator on MSNBC. He became a steady presence on cable news, known for breaking with Trump and criticizing the GOP’s direction. In 2018, he formally left the party, registering as an independent.

In 2022, Jolly joined Andrew Yang and Christine Todd Whitman to launch the Forward Party, attempting to appeal to moderates. The new group pushed reform ideas like open primaries (currently barred in Florida) and campaign finance changes. It drew headlines but little electoral success, reinforcing Jolly’s identity as a politician outside the mainstream.

By 2025, he reemerged as a centrist Democrat and entered the gubernatorial race in Florida. His campaign focuses on affordability, education and ethics. Endorsements from Democratic leaders have given him early momentum, but the run marks another shift in a career defined more by repositioning than by long tenures in office.

As of now, Jolly’s immediate challenger for the Governor’s mansion is Byron Donalds, who sits on opposite ends of Florida politics. Jolly entered Congress in 2014, lost two years later, and has since switched from Republican to independent to Democrat.

Donalds, elected in 2020, has built his profile as a hardline conservative and secured Trump’s endorsement for higher office, and as of July has accrued political donations exceeding $10 million (10 times that of Jolly’s donations).

One candidate has moved away from the GOP; the other has tied his future to it. Their support reflects that split. In August 2025, more than 60 former and current Democratic officials endorsed Jolly’s run for governor, despite his previous Republican party affiliation.

“David Jolly has the strength, the experience, and the independence to break through the noise and build the coalition we need to finally flip Florida,” said Florida State Senator Tina Polsky.

Donalds, meanwhile, carries the loyalty of Trump’s support base, with the notable exception of incumbent Governor Ron DeSantis, who has pushed back against Donalds’ bid for governor in favor of Lt. Gov. Jay Collins – the “Chuck Norris of Florida politics.”

Notably, Donalds had never endorsed DeSantis for reelection, which DeSantis seems to have not forgotten.

Regarding these two candidates, Jolly frames himself as a reformer on affordability and ethics, while Donalds leans into socially conservative stances, criticizing cultural issues. Both are shoring up support, but in and from opposite directions.