From town halls in Apopka county and Tampa Bay to caucus powwows in Tallahassee, it looks like David Jolly — a former Republican congressman who fled the party due to Donald Trump and has been a commentator on MSNBC for several years — was already campaigning earlier this month for the Florida governor’s seat in 2026.
Then he announced Thursday that he changed his voter registration from no party affiliation to Democrat, which is a necessary step in that direction.
Meanwhile, State Sen. Jason Pizzo, the now former Senate minority leader who has also toyed with a gubernatorial run, announced that he had changed his registration from Democrat to no party affiliation, saying the blue party “is dead.”
Is this setting Florida voters up for a gubernatorial race between Jolly and Pizzo and whoever is the Republican nominee?
Jolly still says he is only “seriously considering” a run for the state’s top job. “Exploring,” is another word he uses a lot.
“It’s clear to me there is a coalition of Floridians that want change,” he was quoted as saying last month in POLITICO. But some who know him say his mind is pretty made up. And now he has a political action committee, curiously called Florida 2026, so he can start to raise campaign dough to “engage in voter outreach and research work focused on key issues in the Sunshine State,” according to the website, which is found at Florida2026.com or DavidJolly.com. Either takes you to the same page.
Sure, there are already the inevitable comparisons to Charlie “Turncoat” Crist, another former congressman who ran for governor and lost in 2022 against Ron DeSantis. Sure, there are about 1.2 million more Republican voters in Florida than Dem voters. Sure, there isn’t a single Democrat elected statewide. Sure, Trump has won Florida three times. Sure, Florida hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since Lawton Chiles in 1994.
That’s more than 30 years.
Read related: Downtown Miami protest planned Saturday vs Donald Trump policies
But if there’s someone who can bridge that gap, who can reach out to the middle and get the desilucionado Trump voters, it might just be David Jolly. Everybody says, like a broken record, that the only way to beat a Republican candidate for governor is to get all the Dems, most of the NPAs and, say, 1 out of 10 Republicans. Who can do that better than a desilucionado Republican himself?
“I’ve considered myself a proud member of the Democratic Coalition for years now,” Jolly told Florida Politics in March. “The coalition I would need is essentially the same. You need Democrats, independents and kind of mainstream Republicans to build a coalition. If you do it as an NPA (no party affiliation candidate) or as a Democrat, you are still asking if you can change the state.”
That seems to have been foreshadowing.
Jolly, an attorney and former lobbyist, is a fifth generation Floridian who grew up, by the way, in South Florida. So he understands our rhythms and strengths and issues, despite now living in the St. Petersburg area, where he served as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 13th congressional district from 2014 to 2017 — as a Republican who won a Democrat-leaning district. He was unseated by Crist. After leaving office, Jolly became a outspoken and prominent critic of President Donald Trump and a political pundit on MSNBC, where he did things like deconstruct the GOP’s approach to the Trump indictment.
In September 2018, Jolly left the Republican Party and registered as an independent.
“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing him for years and I’ve known him to be a brilliant, ethical, good-faith individual who is truly concerned about the state and the country,” said Fernand Amandi, a well-known Democratic strategist who helped Barack Obama win Florida in 2008 and 2012. “He’s always had a congenial willingness to solve problems. He reminds me of the great Florida leaders of the past. People like Ruben Askew, Bob Graham, Lawton Chiles.
“When people hear Jolly speak, they are shocked at how personable and knowledgable he is,” Amandi told Political Cortadito. “When people are exposed to David Jolly, they see someone they like and who they trust is telling the truth. That is something rare in U.S politics and completely lost in Florida.”
Jolly has been described by many as an extremely talented communicator with an analytical mind who doesn’t speak in insider language. “He connects very quickly with the concerns of the people,” Amandi said. “Not only is he aware of the problem, he has a way to solve it.”
It certainly speaks to his appeal that all he has to do is suggest he’s seeking the Democratic nomination for governor and that scrambles the ambitions that Pizzo may have had, switching to NPA rather than face a potential primary with him. “If David Jolly had not announced his potential run as a Democratic nominee,” Amandi said, “I don’t think Jason Pizzo would have left the party last Thursday.”
The timing certainly seems sus.
But a potential Pizzo candidacy as an independent — and about 26% of Florida’s registered voters are NPAs — could actually help
whoever the Republican nominee ends up being, most likely Republican Congressman Byron Donalds of Naples, a financial analyst and onetime contender for VP for Donald Trump. Daniels has the POTUS endorsement. Casey DeSantis, the current governor’s wife, is still flirting with a potential run, but we know that spouses of electeds traditionally don’t win elections. And she has that Hope Florida scandal now blemishing that pipe dream.
Democrats have blasted Pizzo, a former Miami-Dade assistant state attorney first elected in 2018, for abandoning the party, saying, basically, “good riddance.” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said he was useless, anyway.
“Jason Pizzo is one of the most ineffective and unpopular Democratic leaders in recent memory, and his resignation is one of the best things to happen to the party in years,” Fried said in a statement Thursday. “His legacy as leader includes continually disparaging the party base, starting fights with other members, and chasing his own personal ambitions at the expense of Democratic values.”
Read related: A red wave rode over the U.S., Florida and Miami-Dade on Election Day
If the party is dead, as Pizzo claims, isn’t it also to blame?
Pizzo did not return calls and texts to his cellphone.
Jason Pizzo on the Senate floor.
Fried, too, believes that Jolly possibly entering the guv’s race as a Democrat was the last straw.
“Jason’s failure to build support within our party for a gubernatorial run has led to this final embarrassing temper tantrum,” Fried said. “I’d be lying if I said I’m sad to see him go, but I wish him the best of luck in the political wilderness he’s created for himself.
“The Florida Democratic Party is more united without him.”
Ouch.
Still, many Dems are concerned that if Pizzo runs, he could hurt any chances that Jolly — or whoever ends up being the Democratic nominee — may have to win.
“Jason Pizzo has a decision to make, and I hope and trust he makes the right one,” Amandi told Political Cortadito. “But if he decides to barrel forward anyway and run as an independent, he’s only going to guarantee that the Republican wins. And if he does that, he should probably change his name to Jason Spoiler.”
The post David Jolly, Jason Pizzo switch parties to possibly run for Florida guv in ’26 appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Miami-Dade’s premiere LGBT rights group came out with new endorsements Friday — and snubbed two gay candidates in one race.

SAVE Dade endorsed former prosecutor Jason Pizzo for the state Senate race in District 38 over former North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns and former Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Góngora — both of whom are openly gay, both of whom have won Champion of Equality awards and both of whom are, needless to say, verklempft.

“My track record on SAVE Dade is perfect. I’ve passed more LGBT legislation than anyone,” Góngora said.

Said Burns: “To choose somebody who doesn’t have a record, who hasn’t done one single thing for this community, is definitely questionable.”

But a look at the campaign reports might provide the answer as to why Pizzo — whose endorsement is announced at the same time as the endorsement for immigration activist Francesca Menes for State House District 108 — was picked: Both Menes and Pizzo hired Christian Ulvert as their campaign manager.

Ulvert was chair of SAVE Dade’s executive board until he stepped down last year over concerns that he was mixing business with activism. Ulvert owns Edge Communications and works with several political candidates and referendums on local campaigns. He helped get Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and Miami-Dade Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava elected, worked for Dan Gelber’s campaign for Attorney General and is currently working on the Senate campaign for Jose Javier Rodriguez and the House run of Nick Duran. He may have resigned from the SAVE board in 2015, but he is a high profile Democrat (was recently political director for the Florida Democratic Party) who still influences SAVE behind the scenes. The executive director he hired is still there. His buddies are still on the board.

“I just don’t believe the process is a fair one,” Góngora said. “I believe it’s been tainted by money.”

Read related story: Michael Gongora, Jason Pizzo rack up endorsements for Senate

Ulvert did not return calls and ask for questions to be sent via email. He later responded that he had no involvement in the endorsement process.

SAVE Executive Director Tony Lima admitted that the fundraising was a key issue.

“The bottom line in that race is that Jason Pizzo has money and he’s viable. He’s viable and he has a solid plan,” Lima told Ladra. “Although Kevin Burns and Michael Gongora gave amazing interviews, Jason was the only candidate who had a plan to penetrate all the communities you need to get elected. The African-American community. The Haitian community… which is where I think Kevin and Michael fell short.

“We supported them in the past. But in such an important race where we need to make sure that Daphne Campbell is not elected, its important to make sure that we are supporting the most viable candidate that has the most viable plan,” Lima said.

But he said Ulvert, pictured here with President Bill Clinton, had absolutely no influence over the decision making in either endorsement. He said Menes was “another stellar story. She has a really good sense for what her constituency is made up of and what their needs are.”

Candidates are screened by a panel of constituents who make a recommendation to the endorsement panel who makes a recommendation to the board, Lima explained.

In a press release sent by the Pizzo campaign, SAVE Dade Director of Campaigns Justin Klecha said, “Our endorsement panelists from the community were duly impressed with Jason’s answers on issues of LGBTQ equality across the board. Jason is proudly running on a vision of a pro-equality future and support for pro-equality policies like the Florida Competitive Workforce Act.

But Góngora and Burns would, naturally, share that vision of pro-equality because they have lived it. And they both said that the SAVE Dade candidate screening committee did not ask questions about the issues. The panelists were more concerned about how much money the candidates would be able to raise, both men said.

Pizzo may be leading that contest with $400,000 he loaned to himself, but he’s only raised $35,500 compared to $77,000 raised by Góngora. That is a truer test of community support, no?

“I felt that the questions were stacked against us,” Góngora said. “They asked ‘Why would anyone in the minority communities vote for you?’”

Um, I don’t know. Maybe because he’s a Hispanic gay man who has fought discrimination for years.”

Added Burns: “It was definitely personality driven.”

Burns has been married to his partner for 21 years and they have a child they had to adopt in another state because of Florida’s ban on gay adoptions. He has testified in Tallahassee about having to establish a residency in Vermont so he could be a father. He was the first openly gay mayor of a large city in Florida and he added domestic partnership benefits for city employees. He also brought legislation that forced vendors with multi-million dollar city contracts to offer domestic partner benefits to their employees.

As a Miami Beach commissioner, Góngora appointed several LGBT members to city boards and committees, got domestic partnership benefits for city employees and sponsored revisions in the city charter to ensure LGBT protections, including transgender protections, were added to the human rights ordinance. He also worked with Equality Florida in sponsoring anti-bullying legislation in the state. He has worked closely with the Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the Aqua Foundation, Gay Pride Committee, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Equality Florida, SAVE Dade, Unity Coalition and the Trevor Project, the only 24/7 suicide hotline for LGBT youth.

“The fact that they didn’t find Michael or I worthy of their endorsement after the years of advocacy and promoting these issues that we’ve put in is disappointing to say the least,” Burns said.

“I live our issues every day and they decided to support someone who doesn’t even vote,” he added, referring to Pizzo’s voting record. The Miami Herald reported last month that Pizzo, who became a Democrat in April, had not voted since 2008 — skipping 17 elections.

Members of the LGBT community were also somewhat surprised and/or (if they know about Ulvert’s connections) disgusted with the snub.

“I’m both perplexed and upset. It’s shocking,” said Jackie Lalonde, a longtime donor and fund raiser. “It’s shocking.

She said she called SAVE Dade leaders for an explanation. “And I am getting the lamest rationale. They said Pizzo has a better game plan. That’s not a legitimate reason. It’s not that he’s a bad person. I don’t know him and that’s the point. He’s done nothing for our community.

“They should be making a recommendation for someone who has a long history of work and advocacy for the LGBT community,” said Lalonde, a Góngora supporter. “Michael has worked for decades not just for LGBT causes but for all in the community.”

She believes that Pizzo, who is apparently wealthy and has loaned $400,000 to his campaign for a $30,000-a-year job, gave a sizable donation to the non-profit organization.

“I do believe Michael will win in the end, but it is so discomforting as a gay member of this community to be back-stabbed and have it sell out for a political contribution,” Lalonde said.

“It makes me want to throw up.”

Former Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Góngora keeps racking up those endorsements in his bid to become the next Florida Senator in District 38.

But so is some young gun attorney named Jason Pizzo who nobody ever heard of before.

It’s natural that Góngora would get his ex colleagues on the dais to join his team: Former Miami Beach Commissioners Ed Tobin and Deede Weithorn and former Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower were the first to jump aboard. They were joined by current Commissioners Michael Grieco and Kristen Rosen Gonzalez.

Read related story: Michael Gongora wants senate seat left by La Gwen Margolis

The latest are endorsements from Miami Commissioner Ken Russel and Biscayne Neighborhoods Association President Andres Althabe, who are hosting an event for Góngora on Tuesday at the Charter Club Condominium Association. They are pictured here with the candidate at a past legislative update at Miami-Dade College.

“I am thrilled to have the support of these two leaders who always put the residents first,” Góngora said in a statement. “We have worked together on quality of life issues in the Biscayne Neighborhoods Association including traffic issues, better roads, quality education and better condominium association laws.”

It would be weird for Althabe to support anyone else in the race to replace Sen. Gwen Margolis: Góngora serves as the pro bono community association attorney for the Biscayne Neighborhoods Association.

“I have worked very closely with Michael for the past two years as the attorney for Biscayne Neighborhoods Association,” Althabe said. “He is ethical, honest, smart and someone I know will represent us well in Tallahassee.”  

But this is Russell’s first endorsement as an elected official.  

“I first met Michael when I was running for office as City of Miami Commissioner,” said Russell, who won his seat last year against the better financed Mrs. Teresa Sarnoff, wife of termed-out commissioner Marc Sarnoff. “He has a firm grasp of the issues impacting residents throughout our community and I have confidence in his abilities to produce results which will positively impact our quality of life.”

Weithorn, similarly, said his experience makes Góngora the best choice: “Michael understands government at all levels and will be effective in bringing home funds from Tallahassee to undertake needed traffic and flooding solutions throughout Miami-Dade County.  Additionally, he will continue the fight for Israel in Tallahassee with the new Anti BDS law and divestiture laws.  We need a leader that is sensitive to all issues impacting the diverse community.”

The newly-drawn District 38 runs roughly from Miami Beach to Aventura and from the ocean to I-95, including all of the Biscayne Corridor of Miami through the Upper East Side. There are six other candidates, including State Rep. Daphne Campbell, and Góngora threw his hat in after Margolis withdrew in the wake of some regrettable comments. Again.

He immediately became the front runner.

But this Pizzo person is certainly giving him chase.

Jason Pizzo, a former Miami-Dade prosecutor who has loaned himself $400,000 for this contest, has the endorsements of State Rep. Barbara Watson, Aventura Mayor Enid Weisman, Sunny Isles Beach Vice Mayor Jeannette Gatto, Sunny Isles Commissioners Jennifer Levin, Isaac Aelion and Dana Goldman, Surfside Vice Mayor Michael Karukin and Surfside Commissioner Daniel Gielchinsky.

As if that was something to sneeze at, he’s also got the AFSCME union and several black pastors and community leaders.

But it’s not over yet. There are plenty of political endorsements left to be made.

Maybe Campbell can get Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine.