Is David Jolly riding an off-shore blue wave? His Q1 fundraising suggests momentum is building

Florida gubernatorial candidate David Jolly has raised $1 million since two Special Election wins last month that saw Democrats upset favored Republicans.

Throughout the first quarter of 2026 and a short portion of April, Jolly’s campaign raised $2 million. Jolly has now raised $5 million total since he entered the race in June.

The $5 million total pales in comparison to Jolly’s likely Republican opponent should he win the Democratic nomination. GOP front-runner Byron Donalds has raised more than $67 million for his race, including more than $22 million in the first quarter.

But while it’s a much lower number, Jolly’s most recent haul signals momentum for the Democrat.

On March 24, Democrats Brian Nathan and Emily Gregory each won Special Elections in races where the Republican nominee was favored and better funded. Gregory’s victory in particular made national headlines because she now represents President Donald Trump, whose home at Mar-a-Lago is within House District 87, the district she won over Trump-backed Republican Jon Maples. Gregory has endorsed Jolly.

Both Special Election victories were seen as potential bellwethers for the 2026 Midterms, including the Governor’s race, and suggest independents and even some Republicans are frustrated with current GOP leadership both at the state and federal level.

“Floridians are hungry for leadership focused on lowering costs and bringing people together to solve Florida’s urgent problems. This outpouring of support shows that donors across our state and the country recognize Florida is in play and that we are building a formidable campaign capable of winning this race,” Jolly said.

A recent poll taken in Palm Beach County, where Gregory’s HD 87 is located, found Jolly leading Donalds in the county by nearly 9 percentage points. At the same time, respondents indicated significant disapproval of Trump, with 56% saying they don’t think he’s doing a good job.

While that is just one of 67 Florida counties, it adds to Jolly’s assertion that Floridians are looking for fresh leadership, especially as average gas prices now sit well above $4 per gallon in Florida and as prices for other goods and services are expected to increase amid rising fuel costs.

Other statewide polls show Jolly within single digits of Donalds, including an Emerson College poll that put Jolly 5 percentage points behind Donalds and a University of North Florida poll putting Jolly 6 points back.

Further supporting a surge in momentum, first-quarter fundraising shows “a notable uptick in national major donor participation,” according to Jolly’s campaign, which provided fundraising numbers ahead of the April 10 filing deadline with the state.

“This is what momentum looks like: three straight quarters of growth, record fundraising, expanding national support, and polling that shows this race in single digits and tightening,” Campaign Chair Mitchell Berger said. “The path to victory in Florida runs through affordability, unity, and a campaign willing to compete anywhere and everywhere. That’s exactly what David Jolly is building.”

Before Jolly faces any Republican though, he must first survive a Democratic Primary in which he faces Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. Demings has not yet released first-quarter fundraising data, but Demings raised just $329,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025 between his official campaign account and affiliated political committee. Jolly had raised more than $1 million in the same time frame.