Florida Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds says he is not limiting his general-election strategy to Republicans and independents. He believes another pool of voters is available to him in November: registered Democrats who no longer feel represented by their own party.
Donalds laid out that strategy during an appearance on We the People with Gates Garcia, saying his campaign had already spent the Republican primary speaking broadly to voters across Florida.
That is the potentially spicy part of Donalds’ strategy against Democratic nominee David Jolly. Rather than assuming every registered Democrat is locked into the Democratic ticket, Donalds is betting that some voters who identify with the party may still be reachable on state issues.
His pitch to those voters is deliberately local. Donalds has floated the same possibility before. Following his primary victory, he told CNN that Republicans, independents, and “even some conservative Democrats” want Florida to continue on its current political path.
Donalds already has at least one high-profile example. Gainesville City Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut, a longtime Democrat, has backed Donalds over Jolly after previously supporting his party.
Donalds is tying that crossover pitch directly to affordability, arguing that economic concerns could open the door with voters who normally back Democrats. “Florida families work hard for their money. They shouldn’t have to hand more of it over to fund Democrats’ spending agenda,” Donalds said in recent campaign messaging. He has also summed up that pitch more simply: “I’m running for Governor to make Florida more affordable.”
Whether that translates into a broader shift among Florida Democrats is still an open question, but Donalds clearly wants the race framed as more than a battle for the Republican base. His strategy is to convince enough conservative Democrats and independents that issues such as affordability outweigh party loyalty, potentially peeling votes directly away from Jolly in November.
