{"id":2448228,"date":"2025-06-17T08:12:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T12:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donalds-rips-democratic-rival-in-florida-governor-race-with-release-of-new-ad-jolly-has-lost-his-mind-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T08:13:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T12:13:31","slug":"donalds-rips-democratic-rival-in-florida-governor-race-with-release-of-new-ad-jolly-has-lost-his-mind-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donalds-rips-democratic-rival-in-florida-governor-race-with-release-of-new-ad-jolly-has-lost-his-mind-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Donalds rips Democratic rival in Florida governor race with release of new ad: \u2018Jolly has lost his mind\u2019 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">42<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdonalds-rips-democratic-rival-in-florida-governor-race-with-release-of-new-ad-jolly-has-lost-his-mind-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2448228&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In the highly charged Florida gubernatorial race, Representative Byron Donalds, the sole Republican candidate so far, has launched his first campaign ad targeting Democratic rival David Jolly. In the 60-second ad titled &#8220;David Jolly In His Own Words,&#8221; donalds ties Jolly to the Democratic Party&#8217;s controversial policies, which he claims have contributed to the party&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesotas-ken-martin-elected-dnc-chair-this-is-a-new-democratic-party-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Minnesota\u2019s Ken Martin elected DNC Chair: \u2018This is a new Democratic Party\u2019 - Washington Examiner\">recent electoral defeats<\/a>.The ad highlights Jolly&#8217;s comments affirming the Democratic Party&#8217;s stance on issues such as immigration, gun control, and transgender rights, framing them as misguided.<\/p>\n<p>Donalds&#8217;s campaign has described Jolly&#8217;s beliefs as out of touch, emphasizing that he and other Democrats prioritize issues detrimental to Florida, such as illegal immigration and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-unveils-massive-infrastructure-plan-calls-it-once-in-a-generation-investment\/\" title=\"Biden Unveils Massive Infrastructure Plan, Calls It \u2018Once-In-A-Generation Invest...t\u2019\">proposed tax increases<\/a>. Trump&#8217;s endorsement of Donalds further bolsters his position among voters in Florida, where Trump enjoys strong support.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, Jolly contends that Democrats still have a competitive chance in the upcoming election, attributing potential success to changing voter sentiments and emphasizing his commitment to the party&#8217;s current values. He argues that the race presents an prospect for Democrats to reinforce their position without abandoning their core ideals. As both candidates gear up for the election, the debate over the direction and values of their respective parties is expected to play a central role.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Donalds rips Democratic rival in Florida governor race with release of new ad: &lsquo;Jolly has lost his mind&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2021331\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/byron-donalds\/\">Byron Donalds<\/a> (R-FL), the only Republican so far to announce a gubernatorial bid in Florida, released his first campaign ad of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3418278\/florida-governor-race-candidates-matt-gaetz-rumors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">2026 election cycle<\/a> accusing Democratic challenger David Jolly of refusing to abandon failed policies embraced by his party.<\/p>\n<p>The 60-second <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=D4AFYOP_p9s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">web ad<\/a>, &ldquo;David Jolly In His Own Words,&rdquo; seeks to link Donalds&rsquo;s chief rival to Democrats&rsquo; stance on a host of controversial issues often viewed as having led to their sweeping losses at the&nbsp;White House and both chambers of Congress during the 2024 elections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3442957\/democrats-hope-abigail-spanberger-virginia-governor-race\/\">Democrats look to Virginia&#8217;s Abigail Spanberger for a win after rough patch<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3443916\/virginia-democrats-flood-airwaves-anti-trump-ads\/\">Virginia Democrats flood airwaves with anti-Trump ads ahead of Tuesday primary<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3443109\/jack-ciattarelli-polling-margin-flip-governorship-red\/\">Jack Ciattarelli touts polling that shows him within the margin to flip governorship<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The new campaign ad showcases Jolly embracing the Democratic Party&rsquo;s stances on &ldquo;the issues,&rdquo; featuring a recent interview in which he denounced the idea that &ldquo;somehow Democrats have to change their values in 26 or change who they are.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s wrong,&rdquo; Jolly says in the ad.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Democratic Party is absolutely right on the issues,&rdquo; he continues as the phrase is repeatedly overlaid on clips featuring Democratic leaders expressing support for creating a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, expanding access to transgender surgeries for prison inmates, and allowing biological men to compete in women&rsquo;s sports as transgender athletes.<\/p>\n<p>The Donalds campaign told the<em> Washington Examiner<\/em> that Jolly&rsquo;s words show that he &ldquo;has lost his mind along with the rest of the Democrat Party.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Jolly and his Democrat pals put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens, support crushing tax increases on our families, and want men to compete in women&rsquo;s sports,&rdquo; Ryan Smith, chief strategist for the campaign, said in a statement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Just this week, Jolly promoted a plan to pass the most sweeping gun control in Florida&rsquo;s history. Jolly is wrong on the issues and wrong for Florida. Byron Donalds is the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >proven conservative fighter endorsed<\/a> by President Trump to be Florida&rsquo;s next governor,&rdquo; he continued.<\/p>\n<p>Donalds <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3418278\/florida-governor-race-candidates-matt-gaetz-rumors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">announced his campaign<\/a> to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in February, sweeping the coveted endorsement of President Donald Trump in the process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Republicans hope Donalds <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3330423\/byron-donalds-2026-florida-governor-candidacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">has a smooth path to victory<\/a> in Florida, where Trump remains a popular force for the GOP after cruising to victory in his campaign for reelection in the Sunshine State last year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump departs with Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) after hosting the 2025 NCAA Champion, University of Florida men&rsquo;s basketball team in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jolly, however, believes Democrats are being underestimated in a race that holds the potential to be surprisingly competitive.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Why do I believe in 26 Democrats really have a chance?&rdquo; he said during an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hopiumchronicles.com\/p\/putting-florida-back-in-play-my-conversation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">interview<\/a> with <em>Hopium Chronicles<\/em> last month.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to try to sell people something that&rsquo;s not there,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But here&rsquo;s why the Florida governorship race is so special in 26. It is an open-seat governorship without an incumbent. It is in the midst of what I think will be a generational, historic change election environment, the chaos, the scene that has been set by Donald Trump, and in Florida by Ron DeSantis, with the culture wars and the division.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The change environment is there,&rdquo; Jolly, a former Republican congressman who joined the Democratic Party this year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3432187\/converted-democrat-david-jolly-bid-florida-governor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">weeks ahead of announcing his bid <\/a>for governor, said.<\/p>\n<p>But it was during the same interview that the Democratic candidate gave the Donalds campaign fodder for attack as he embraced the party that continues to dodge<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3349272\/democratic-party-approval-rating-record-low-poll\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> record-low approval ratings<\/a> and controversial stances on issues such as immigration and transgender policies that helped<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/politics\/3224858\/democratic-pollster-three-problems-kamal-harris-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> run it into the ground last year<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"D4AFYOP_p9s\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"David Jolly In His Own Words\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D4AFYOP_p9s?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;I officially became a registered Florida Democrat, and I&rsquo;m excited about it. I got to tell you when, when there are stories about the Democratic brand and people leaving the party, I&rsquo;m rushing in in defense of the values of today&rsquo;s Democratic Party,&rdquo; Jolly said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/editorials\/3439997\/trump-epa-power-plant-rule-climate-regulation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>TRUMP EPA LIBERATES POWER PLANTS FROM CLIMATE REGULATIONS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now Florida, Democrats have to do a few things different, right? It is a party that is in some ways a distressed asset, but that just means you pick it up and you get to retell the story, not reshape the party,&rdquo; he continued. &ldquo;I get incensed when I see Democratic leaders &hellip; would say, &lsquo;Somehow Democrats have to change their values in 26 or change who they are.&rsquo; That&rsquo;s wrong. The Democratic Party is absolutely right on the issues. This isn&rsquo;t about changing the values of the Democratic Party. It&rsquo;s about retelling a very special story and meeting voters where they are in 2026, which might be different from where they were in 24, 22, and so forth.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Jolly continued, &ldquo;It is not about abandoning the values of 24 and 22, it&rsquo;s really just about meeting voters where they are and embracing the issues of the moment.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2021331\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2021331\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donalds attacks Democratic opponent in Florida governor race, claiming Jolly has &#8220;lost his mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2448229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AP25088030163237.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[57297,32319,51334,37685,32076],"class_list":["post-2448228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democratic-rival","tag-donald-trump","tag-florida-governor-race","tag-political-ads","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AP25088030163237.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2448228"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2448232,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448228\/revisions\/2448232"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2448229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2448228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2448228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2448228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}