FL-GOV: Jolly picks Gwen Graham for running mate on Dem Florida governor ticket [View all]

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly has selected former Rep. Gwen Graham as his running mate, elevating a close friend whose family name evokes a more consensus-driven era of Florida politics.

“I had one goal in this process: to identify a governing partner capable of leading this state, not just as lieutenant governor, but as governor,” Jolly said. “I want a lieutenant governor capable of serving our state, not just as my governing partner, but as a leader of this state capable of serving in a governing partnership alongside me.”

Jolly unveiled his decision Wednesday morning outside Florida’s Historic Capitol. It came just days after his major challenger for the Democratic nomination for governor, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, suspended his campaign for health reasons. The primary is Aug. 18, providing the Jolly-Graham ticket with a 10-week runway to unify the party and try to fire up a skeptical base.

Graham and Jolly have known each other since they were both in Congress — and she has said he reminds her of her father, the late Democratic senator and governor Bob Graham. The younger Graham also wanted to be governor but lost the Democratic nomination in 2018 to Andrew Gillum, then a rising progressive star who narrowly lost the general election to Ron DeSantis.




https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/10/florida-david-jolly-gwen-graham-governor-democrats-00956047