Florida Democrats picked a former Republican to carry their banner – again.
Now that same party is watching black Democrat leaders in Miami publicly stand with the Republican.
And Byron Donalds just exposed why black Democrats are abandoning David Jolly’s campaign.
The Party That Keeps Losing Florida by Double Digits
David Jolly was a Republican congressman.
Then he left the party, spent years calling Trump dangerous on MSNBC, and registered as a Democrat in April 2025.
Then Florida Democrats made him their nominee for governor.
Sound familiar?
It should.
Four years ago, Florida Democrats ran Charlie Crist – a former Republican governor turned Democrat – against Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis beat him by 19 points.
The Byron Donalds campaign said the quiet part out loud the moment Jolly entered the race: "By switching from Republican to Independent to Democrat, Jolly has officially completed his transition to become the next Charlie Crist."
https://twitter.com/WellsJorda89710/status/2097359233658314986?s=20
That was not an attack.
That was a warning.
Democrats ignored it.
Now they are paying for it.
Miami's Black Democratic Establishment Just Moved
Gainesville City Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut – a Democrat – is backing Byron Donalds over David Jolly.
She was direct about why: she wants to see a black governor, and Florida Democrats made a deliberate choice to run an all-white ticket.
She is not alone.
Rapper and Miami political fixture Luther Campbell – Uncle Luke – posted a photo online.
He called it "the black male Democratic establishment of Miami-Dade County standing with Donalds."
https://twitter.com/ByronDonalds/status/2095126092575117577?s=20
In the photo: Steve Gallon and Keon Hardemon – two names that carry serious weight in Miami-Dade Democratic politics.
Campbell's message was blunt: "All bets are off now. Nobody had a damn thing to say when Debbie Wasserman Schultz came after a black congressional seat. Don't say I didn't tell you."
What Debbie Wasserman Schultz Did
Florida's congressional map was redrawn before the August primary.
The new 20th District – a plurality-black district in South Florida – put Wasserman Schultz in a race against sitting black congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and three other black candidates.
Wasserman Schultz won.
The black political community in Miami-Dade noticed.
They noticed a white Democrat incumbent use redistricting to absorb a black congressional seat.
They noticed the party that lectures everyone about racial equity stayed silent.
Donalds Is Running a Different Race
Donalds is not running against Washington, DC.
"This isn't about national politics. This isn't about even if you like this person or that person. This is about your pocketbook. This is about the future of your children," he said.
https://twitter.com/WellsJorda89710/status/2092210942750687356?s=20
Florida has over a million more registered Republicans than Democrats.
In the primary, once voters learned Trump had endorsed Donalds, he pulled 76 percent to his nearest opponent's 6.
Jolly is trailing by eight points in the general.
This Is Bigger Than One Race
When the black Democrat establishment of Miami-Dade holds up a sign for the Republican candidate, that is not a photo op.
That is a party eating itself alive in public.
Florida Democrats ran a white party-switcher from MSNBC and handed him a coalition that was already walking out the door.
Crist lost by 19.
Jolly does not have 19 points to give.
Sources:
- A.G. Gancarski, "Byron Donalds predicts conservative Democrats will back him over David Jolly," Florida Politics, September 8, 2026.
- Kate Payne, "Former GOP congressman David Jolly running for governor in Florida as Democrat," Associated Press, June 5, 2025.
- "New Poll Shows Trump-Backed Donalds Continuing to Dominate Florida Governor's Race," Emerson College Polling via ByronDonalds.com, April 2026.
- "New Poll Shows Trump-Endorsed Byron Donalds with 8-point Edge over Democrat in Florida Governor's Race," ByronDonalds.com, August 2026.
- "Former Rep. David Jolly wins Democratic nomination for governor in Florida," WPTV, August 2026.
