David Jolly Voted for a Federal Abortion Ban — Has His Position Changed?

David Jolly by Ben P L, CC BY SA 2.0

TAMPA – David Jolly, so far the only serious Democratic candidate for Florida governor in 2026, is facing criticism for his long history of anti-abortion positions, including support for fetal personhood.

During his time as a Republican in Congress, Jolly voted for a federal abortion ban, supported legislation to withhold Title X funding from providers like Planned Parenthood, and repeatedly stated that “life begins at conception.” Jolly also co-sponsored a 2015 bill that sought to grant 14th Amendment rights to embryos — a legal framework often pushed by anti-abortion activists to criminalize patients.

Jolly registered as a Democrat in April 2025 and his newly-launched a campaign for Florida Governor gestures toward support for reproductive rights. But the new Democrat makes no mention of the word “abortion” on his campaign website. Instead, it offers only a brief reference to Roe v. Wade as “a responsible, balanced framework.” Nor has Jolly disavowed his previous anti-abortion stance.

Anna Hochkammer, executive director of the Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition, asked Jolly about his past support for fetal personhood and his silence on Amendment 4 (the pro-choice ballot measure that won majority support but fell short of passing). As reported in Jessica Valenti’s newsletter, Abortion Every Day, Jolly replied that his “values haven’t changed” and blamed restrictions from his time as an MSNBC contributor for not speaking out.

Jolly did not disavow any previous anti-abortion statements. Nor has he responded to Valenti’s request for comment.

With abortion likely to be a central issue in Florida’s gubernatorial race, Jolly’s record and recent statements are raising concerns among reproductive rights advocates about how reliably he would oppose anti-abortion extremism if elected.

If David Jolly becomes the Democratic nominee for Governor, he would be the second consecutive nominee who changed party from Republican to Democrat before running. Meanwhile, multiple Democratic lawmakers have switched parties to become Republicans. This kind of party switching in both directions is a recent feature of Florida politics. Previously, elected officials in the state tended to hold tight to their party affiliations.

Donald J. Peterson and Indony Pierre Jean Baptiste have also filed to run for Governor as Democrats. Both filed in March of this year and have so far reported zero dollars raised.