Democratic Florida gubernatorial nominee David Jolly appears to be ducking a debate with his Republican opponent.
He announced that he will not face Byron Donalds in a debate ahead of the November 3 election, which would make it the first race with absolutely no debates since 1974. The candidate claims that engaging in a debate “would not create constructive, honest conversation and only further stoke division, animosity, and bad will.”
He also accused Donalds of “repeated lies and bad faith,” pointing to campaign ads that “have repeatedly been found to be false.”
The GOP candidate responded on Sunday night, targeting Jolly’s platform and claiming he has “no substance” as a candidate.
“What happened to ‘a dozen times?’ He doesn’t want to defend: His $1,000 hurricane tax on Floridians. His support for child gender surgeries. Being ‘pretty-far left’ (his words). David has no substance. He just wants to talk in soundbites for his next MSNBC gig,” Donalds said.
What happened to “a dozen times?”
He doesn’t want to defend:
-His $1,000 hurricane tax on Floridians
-His support for child gender surgeries
-Being “pretty-far left” (his words)David has no substance. He just wants to talk in soundbites for his next MSNBC gig. pic.twitter.com/dTJBKZ0o3r
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) September 20, 2026
Florida Voice News is helping voters understand Jolly’s record since he doesn’t feel the need to defend it during a debate.
“The record Jolly is now refusing to debate is not hard to find. In a 2023 MSNBC interview, Jolly said, ‘You can say I don’t agree with the Second Amendment. Maybe I don’t. I don’t care,’ and added, ‘We have to crush the culture of guns in the United States. Dramatically change gun culture in the United States, take on the Second Amendment if that’s what it means.’ He has called bans on gender procedures for minors ‘draconian,’ said it would be ‘supportive to allow trans in youth sports,’ and described some of his own insurance and health-care ideas as ‘pretty far-left,’” the outlet reported.
They also pointed out that Jolly accepted $50,000 from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker after the pair campaigned in Orlando.
Look:
REPORT: David Jolly accepts $50,000 from JB Pritzker after campaigning with Illinois governor in Orlando@GatesMcgavick: “David Jolly is happy to tie himself to J.B. Pritzker because they share the same left-wing worldview — gender is just a construct, high taxes are a fact of… pic.twitter.com/70AbLm4RiQ
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) September 25, 2026
“David Jolly is happy to tie himself to J.B. Pritzker because they share the same left-wing worldview — gender is just a construct, high taxes are a fact of life, and law and order don’t matter,” said Donalds campaign communications director Gates McGavick. “Just ask the thousands of people who have fled Illinois for Florida. Byron Donalds will not let David Jolly bring J.B. Pritzker’s radical liberal playbook to the Sunshine State.”
