Florida Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds posted Sunday that Democrat David Jolly had backed away from debates after once saying he would do so “a dozen times,” accusing Jolly of avoiding questions on insurance costs and other issues. Jolly’s campaign said it would not debate, citing what it called bad faith and terms set by a press release. Online replies quickly turned to Donalds’ own decision to skip GOP primary debates, drawing a split reaction to the exchange.
The video shows a short excerpt from CNN’s “Laura Coates Live,” with on-screen graphics identifying Jolly as a former Republican congressman running for Florida governor as a Democrat. In the clip, Jolly is seated across from Coates and answers a question about debating Donalds.
A CNN transcript of that July interview records Coates asking, “Will you debate Byron Donalds one or three times?” and Jolly answering, “A dozen times,” then adding, “Let him get through his Republican primary right now because I’m not sure he can get through that.” The posted clip is only about 11 seconds and does not include the rest of the interview or later campaign statements.
Donalds wrote that Jolly “doesn’t want to defend” what he called a “$1,000 hurricane tax,” support for “child gender surgeries,” and being “‘pretty-far left’ (his words).” Jolly’s campaign said debates “would not create constructive, honest conversation” and accused Donalds of “repeated lies and bad faith” and of setting “his own rules by press release.”
News reports said both camps accepted different invitations last week but never agreed on a shared stage; the Tampa Bay Times reported that, if the decision holds, it would be the first Florida gubernatorial race without a debate since 1974. Both sides have disputed those claims about insurance costs and campaign ads, and the post has not independently settled them.
Responses to the Florida Debate Dispute
Official statements split along the same line. Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power wrote that Donalds “said yes to a debate” and called Jolly “#Dodgydave,” adding, “One candidate is ready to defend his record to Florida voters while the other dodges.”
Jolly’s campaign said Donalds had told primary rivals “it’s not my job” to platform them and that debates now “would not create constructive, honest conversation.”
Some users sided with Donalds’ post. One wrote, “If Jolly isn’t prepared to debate Byron Donalds, then he’s not qualified to lead.” Another called Jolly “an empty suit.”
Others focused on Donalds’ own record and the proposed format. One commenter wrote, “What did you defend in your debates? Oh right, you refused to debate.”
Another said, “All you’ll agree to is 2 men on a sound stage with no audience making unchallenged statements. That is not a debate.”
A third asked why there would be “no audience and moderators you pick.”
For now, the exchange has become part of a larger argument over whether Florida voters will see the two nominees on the same stage before Nov. 3. Attention remains on whether the campaigns will revisit a shared forum or continue making their case separately.
