Former U.S. Representative (attorney and television analyst)

David Jolly is a fifth-generation Floridian and attorney who represented Florida's 13th Congressional District as a Republican from 2014 to 2017, later spent seven years as an independent and nearly a decade as an NBC and MSNBC political analyst, and is now a Democrat²³. He won the August 18, 2026 Democratic primary for governor and is running with former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham¹³.

Where they stand 10 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• GunsAll of that, plus ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazinesmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His campaign site says Florida should ban the sale of assault weapons, require universal and comprehensive background checks, explore licensing, and preserve and expand the red flag laws enacted after Parkland. (2026) source
  • Told the Florida Phoenix the 2018 Parkland gun safety law should stay in place. (2026-08-27) source
• AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)medium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His campaign site says reproductive health decisions should be made between women and their doctors and that Florida should codify the Roe and Casey framework. (2026) source
  • Told the Florida Phoenix he pledged to support enacting the 2024 abortion rights amendment, Amendment 4, because it won more than 50 percent of the vote. (2026-05-06) source
  • As a U.S. representative, voted for H.R. 36, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would have barred most abortions at 20 or more weeks after fertilization; it passed the House 242 to 184. (2015-05-13) source
• MarijuanaLegalize and regulate it like alcoholmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Told the Florida Phoenix he supports legalizing recreational marijuana because a majority of Floridians voted for it in 2024, though he said he personally voted against that amendment. (2026-05-06) source
• School choiceYes, but focused on low-income and special-needs studentsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His campaign site says Florida's private school voucher program should be means-tested for families with demonstrated economic need, and voucher schools should meet public school standards and not charge additional tuition. (2026) source
• HealthcareKeep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is brokenmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His campaign site proposes expanding Medicaid under federal law to cover hundreds of thousands of uninsured Floridians and a five-year pilot to expand community health centers in every county. (2026) source
• Safety net programsExpand help for childcare, housing and paid family leavemedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His campaign site says Florida should expand Medicaid and ensure health care for all Floridians, and proposes scaling up workforce housing and down-payment assistance for first-time buyers. (2026) source
• Business regulationStronger rules on big corporations, banks and tech companiesmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His campaign site proposes capping investor-owned utility profits in line with the national average. (2026) source
• Death penaltyKeep it, but add safeguards such as DNA and science review before executionsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Told the News Service of Florida he anticipates a moratorium on executions while the issue is studied and would never sign a death warrant for a case without a unanimous jury recommendation, while recognizing cases where the facts are unchallenged. (2026-05-06) source
• Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Said in a campaign video that he does not intend to change Florida's law barring biological males from women's sports, according to the Miami Herald. (2026-09) source
• Energy and climateNo single answer fitsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His campaign site calls for requiring greater integration of clean and renewable energy into public utilities, stronger net metering and accelerated utility-scale renewable buildout. (2026) source

Said vs. did

• Abortion: Said: In his 2026 campaign for governor, his site says reproductive health decisions should be made between women and their doctors and that Florida should codify the Roe/Casey framework, which protected abortion up to viability⁴. Did: In 2015, as a Republican member of Congress, he voted for H.R. 36, which would have barred most abortions from 20 weeks after fertilization, before viability, with conditional exceptions for the woman's life, rape, and incest against a minor; it passed the House 242 to 184¹²¹³.

No public position found on: Minimum wage, Immigration, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.