WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Bill Clinton will campaign with Democrat gubernatorial nominee David Jolly at an October 20 interfaith event in Hollywood.
- A Stetson University poll showed Republican Byron Donalds leading Jolly 52% to 41% among modeled likely voters.
- Other surveys showed a closer race, including a 45% tie and a YouGov poll giving Donalds a 47% to 45% lead.
- The Cook Political Report shifted the race from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican.”
Former President Bill Clinton is stepping into Florida’s governor’s race as Democrats make a late push for votes. Clinton is scheduled to campaign with Democrat nominee David Jolly two weeks before Election Day, as reported by Breitbart.
Clinton will join Jolly for an evening interfaith event in Hollywood on Tuesday, October 20. According to Jolly’s campaign, the appearance will be Clinton’s first public campaign stop of the 2026 midterms.
New to @MSNOWNews --> Former President Bill Clinton, after not campaigning outside of NY in the 2022 midterms, is taking to the campaign trail in the final weeks of 2026.
His first stop: Florida for David Jolly. https://t.co/axb7ZDmhJZ — Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) October 14, 2026
The visit brings a familiar Democrat heavyweight into a state where the party has struggled for decades to capture the governor’s office. Jolly is trying to break that losing streak in the November 3 election.
Jolly, a former Republican congressman, won the Democratic nomination in August. He now faces Republican Rep. Byron Donalds in the contest to replace outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Florida Democrats have not elected one of their own as governor since Lawton Chiles won reelection in 1994. Clinton’s appearance gives Jolly a prominent surrogate as the campaign enters its closing stretch.
Recent surveys, however, offer sharply different pictures of the race. Some polling shows Donalds with a substantial advantage, while other results suggest a much closer contest.
A Stetson University poll released Tuesday showed Donalds leading Jolly by 11 points among modeled likely voters. Donalds received 52% in that survey, compared with 41% for Jolly.
Other polling has put the two candidates within striking distance of each other. A St. Pete Polls survey conducted from October 5 through October 7 found Donalds and Jolly tied at 45% each.
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A YouGov survey released last week also showed a narrower race than the Stetson University poll. Donalds led Jolly 47% to 45% in that survey.
Clinton’s Florida visit comes as early voting begins in parts of the state. His arrival gives Jolly a recognizable national Democrat advocate while voters begin casting ballots.
The governor’s contest is also attracting attention beyond Florida. The Cook Political Report changed its rating for the race earlier this month as the campaign moved toward Election Day.
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The organization moved the contest from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican.” The revised rating continued to favor Republicans while recognizing that the race had become more competitive.
That ratings change came despite Donalds holding a substantial financial advantage over Jolly. The varied polling and the altered race rating provide the backdrop for Democrats’ decision to bring Clinton into Florida.
Clinton’s work for Florida Democrats is not limited to the governor’s race. Earlier this week, he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries headlined a New York fundraiser for Rep. Jared Moskowitz, according to MS NOW.
Moskowitz is seeking reelection in a newly drawn district. MS NOW described that district as a tossup after a congressional remapping backed by DeSantis altered Moskowitz’s previous seat.
The former president has made similar appearances during the final days of earlier election cycles. During the 2022 midterms, Clinton campaigned in New York, New Jersey, and South Texas shortly before voters went to the polls.
Clinton assumed a larger campaign role in 2024. He made dozens of stops across battleground states for then Vice President Kamala Harris while also supporting candidates further down the ballot.
His scheduled October 20 appearance now places him squarely in Florida’s closing campaign sprint. Jolly will be counting on Clinton’s presence as he attempts to end the Democrats’ long drought in races for governor.
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