David Jolly, Byron Donalds continue battle for Black voters

Will Black voters fall in line behind the Democratic Party in the Governor’s race as usual? Or will they abandon usual partisan patterns and cross over to the Republican ticket? That seems to be the question preoccupying both Democratic nominee David Jolly and Republican Byron Donalds, the latter of whom could be the first Black Governor of Florida if he wins in November. “This entire race could come down to the 10% of undecided Black voters in Florida right now. We are just north of 80%, which historically, three weeks out, is about where a Democrat should be. Byron is at about 9% or 10%. The voters who might decide this race are the currently undecided Black voters in the state of Florida,” Jolly said in Tallahassee. “Someone asked me, ‘Are you concerned, Jolly, as a Democrat, that you are only getting about 80% or 81% of the Black vote?’ I said, ‘Not as concerned as Byron should be that he is only getting 9% from his own community.’ That last 10% is where I think this race could be decided.” Most public polls show Jolly below the 80% he cites. A St. Pete Polls survey has Jolly at 65% among Black voters and Donalds at 14%, with 16% undecided, while a Mason-Dixon poll had Jolly at 76% and Donalds at 10%. Some polls show Donalds doing better than 10% with Black voters. That same St. Pete Polls survey shows him with 14% support among the demographic, which is in line with how Gov. Ron DeSantis did in 2022 and Donald Trump in 2024. Donalds said he wants at least 20% of the Black vote. Jolly, a former Republican Congressman, said Monday in Tallahassee that he has put in the work, including by putting “into places of leadership leading Black Floridians to help shape the state university system, education, and economic development.” But he said he’s showing up as well. “Within the community, churches are a bedrock for many. We set a record on the campaign trail in Pensacola by doing six services in one morning, and we got permission to do that from all the pastors. Yesterday, we set another record because the service was almost four hours,” Jolly said. Donalds says he’s putting in effort as well. “Typically, Republican campaigns don’t do the level of work that we’ve been doing, talking to Black voters,” he said during an event in Pinellas County. “Honestly, most political consultants are only concerned about getting the candidate to 50% plus one. Because 50% plus one is all you need to win the seat. But I’m not interested in 50% plus one. I’m interested in 100% because my job is to govern the state of Florida. My job is to make sure that when we put these policies in, they work for all families, in all communities.” Both Donalds and Jolly have official coalitions of Black supporters. The Florida Coalition of Black Leaders for Donalds includes preachers and police, lawmakers and lobbyists, and teachers and business owners from around the state, who will make the case for the Naples Congressman at churches, in barbershops, and on college campuses. That came after Jolly assembled his own coalition. The two men are covering some of the same ground along the way. Jolly and Donalds were considering a debate at Florida A&M University this Fall, but ultimately couldn’t agree on schedule or format. So both men slated town halls. Donalds did his last month. Jolly’s is tonight. Jolly also plans to sit down with former congressional candidate and rap icon Luther Campbell for an interview Wednesday. Donalds conducted his Sunday night. The post David Jolly, Byron Donalds continue battle for Black voters appeared first on Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..