David Jolly Refuses to Debate Byron Donalds for Florida Governor

Democratic nominee David Jolly announced on September 21, 2026, that he will not debate Republican nominee Byron Donalds before the November 3 general election. Jolly stated that the current campaign environment, characterized by Donalds' "repeated lies and bad faith," would prevent constructive conversation and only "further stoke division, animosity and badwill." He further claimed that one "can't debate a liar."

The stalemate follows a dispute over debate terms. Donalds previously announced his acceptance of three debate offers from Spectrum News and Florida A&M University, News4Jax, and Telemundo/NBC 6, specifying a format with no audience. The Jolly campaign claimed it was not contacted prior to this announcement and rejected the terms. Conversely, Jolly accepted proposals from the Tampa Tiger Bay Club and CBS in Miami, which Donalds did not accept.

Byron Donalds disputed Jolly's claims on X, asserting that Jolly had previously agreed to 12 debates before reversing his position. Donalds accused Jolly of avoiding scrutiny regarding his property insurance proposal and other policies. Recent polling indicates a tight race, with one survey placing the candidates within 0.1 percentage points of each other.

If the candidates fail to reach an agreement, it will mark the first time since 1974 that a Florida gubernatorial race has proceeded without a televised debate. Florida A&M and Spectrum News Florida had previously prepared to host a statewide debate on September 29.