David Jolly spent a year pretending he was a different kind of Democrat.
Last weekend, the most radical LGBTQ group in Florida handed him their endorsement.
And Jolly called it a special honor.
Jolly's Moderate Mask Just Fell Off
Jolly has been running on one message: he's not like the radical left.
He's a fifth-generation Floridian.
A man of faith.
A former Republican who just wants to fix housing costs and keep things civil.
Floridians weren't buying it, but Jolly kept saying it anyway.
Then the Florida LGBTQ+ Democrat Caucus endorsed him – and every word of that moderate persona collapsed in one announcement.
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2076802597395071168?s=20
This is the same group that has fought since 2022 to lift Florida's ban on gender mutilation procedures for children.
The same group that wants men and boys competing in women's and girls' sports.
The same group demanding men be allowed into women's restrooms and locker rooms in schools and publicly owned facilities.
He didn't decline. He didn't stay quiet.
He went on Facebook and called it a "special honor" to receive their backing.
Byron Donalds Didn't Hesitate
Byron Donalds – Trump-endorsed, $90 million raised, leading the GOP primary by 46 points over his nearest rival – responded the way Floridians are responding at kitchen tables across the state.
His campaign communications director, Gates McGavick, said it plainly: "David Jolly is fundamentally out of touch with Florida voters who do not support men in girls' locker rooms and bathrooms and sex-change operations for minors."
McGavick didn't stop there.
"This is just the latest proof that Jolly's moderate persona is a hoax – he's 100% onboard with the radical left and would govern as such," he said.
Donalds' Byron War Room account had been tracking Jolly's real positions for months.
Back in October 2025, they surfaced video of Jolly calling Florida's child protection laws – the ones banning gender mutilation procedures for minors – "draconian."
That word told you everything.
This Is What's Actually on the Ballot
Ron DeSantis spent eight years building something in Florida.
He banned biological males from competing in women's sports in 2021.
He signed the Parental Rights in Education Act.
He banned gender mutilation procedures for minors.
He protected women's restrooms and locker rooms in public buildings.
https://twitter.com/WellsJorda89710/status/2076728448861511999?s=20
Florida voters rewarded him with a 19-point landslide reelection in 2022 – the largest gubernatorial margin in the state's modern history.
David Jolly has told Floridians exactly what he plans to do with all of it.
He vowed to rip up Florida's 287g agreements – the ones letting local law enforcement work alongside ICE and Border Patrol.
He supports gun-control legislation that would strip Floridians of their Second Amendment rights.
The Florida LGBTQ+ Democrat Caucus didn't back Jolly despite those positions.
They backed him because of them.
Their caucus president called the endorsement vote "astonishingly consensus-driven" – not a single faction dissented.
The Pattern Democrats Keep Repeating
This is what always happens.
A Democrat runs as a moderate, talks about kitchen table issues, avoids the culture war questions.
Then the endorsements come in and tell you exactly who they are.
https://twitter.com/TPSIOfficial/status/2051319483592015952?s=20
Charlie Crist tried the same play in 2022 – positioned himself as the reasonable alternative, collected the radical endorsements, and watched DeSantis bury him by 19 points.
Jolly is running the same play in a state that has only moved further right since then.
Florida Republicans now outnumber registered Democrats by more than a million voters, and the gap keeps growing.
Jolly is trailing Donalds in every major poll, and the most respected election forecasters – including Sabato's Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report – rate the race as "Safe Republican" and "Solid Republican" respectively.
The Florida LGBTQ+ Democrat Caucus just handed Byron Donalds a television ad.
They handed him a door-knocking script.
They handed him the clearest contrast in any governor's race in the country.
And David Jolly called it a special honor.
Sources:
- Amy Curtis, "Byron Donalds Slams Dem David Jolly As 'Fundamentally Out of Touch' After Radical LGBTQ Endorsement," Townhall, July 13, 2026.
- Hannah Knudsen, "Exclusive – Byron Donalds' Gubernatorial Campaign Dominates in Final Stretch of Primary," Breitbart, July 1, 2026.
- Drew Dixon, "Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus Issues Endorsements for Congressional Seats," Florida Politics, July 12, 2026.
- "Byron Donalds officially qualifies for gubernatorial race," Florida Politics, June 9, 2026.
