Overview
- David Jolly formally announced Gwen Graham as his running mate Wednesday at the Old Capitol in Tallahassee, saying their past bipartisan work proves they can govern.
- The campaign also named Sean Pittman as transition chair and tapped state Sen. Tina Polsky as its lead adviser for public policy and government affairs to signal readiness on day one.
- Graham, a former one-term U.S. representative and daughter of ex-Gov. Bob Graham, framed the ticket around affordability, education, health care and insurance costs.
- The pick was publicly leaked days earlier when Rev. R.B. Holmes Jr. named Graham during a church sermon, and Republican opponents quickly dismissed the ticket as out of step with Florida voters.
- Jolly faces steep structural obstacles in the November race, including about a 1.5 million voter registration gap for Republicans and a large reported fundraising shortfall versus leading GOP candidate Byron Donalds.