David Jolly

David Jolly was born on Halloween in Dunedin and grew up a minister’s son, with family roots in Florida stretching back five generations.¹² He and his wife, Laura, are raising two children in Pinellas County.³

After graduating from Emory, Jolly worked on the staff of Republican Representative Bill Young and earned a law degree at George Mason University.¹ His professional life also included private law practice and lobbying before he won the 2014 special election following Young’s death.¹⁴

In Congress, Jolly introduced the 2016 Stop Act, a proposal to prohibit federal officeholders from directly soliciting political contributions.⁵ He pledged to stop making fundraising calls himself while allowing his campaign staff to raise money.⁶ He also proposed restricting gun purchases by people on the federal terror watch list while providing a process to challenge a denial.⁷ After losing reelection in 2016, he became a television political analyst and spent seven years as an independent before becoming a Democrat.¹²

Against Republican Byron Donalds, Jolly proposes converting Florida’s catastrophe fund into direct public coverage for hurricane and wind damage, leaving other risks with private insurers.⁸ He also wants to reverse lawsuit restrictions that Donalds supports, making the race a choice about who bears storm risks and how homeowners can challenge disputed claims.⁸