PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. -- Democrat David Jolly is trying something that sounds almost quaint in this current era of toxic American politics: presenting himself as the nice guy.
"In the world of Donald Trump, be Ted Lasso," Jolly said in an interview, invoking the relentlessly optimistic coach in the hit comedy series. "Byron Donalds is Donald Trump, and I'm trying to be Ted Lasso."
In the Florida governor's race, Jolly has made political decency a central part of his campaign during one of the nastiest midterm seasons in recent memory. Facing off against Donalds -- a 48-year-old congressman and staunch Trump ally -- Jolly is waging a campaign aimed at voters who want a less divisive, more civil kind of politics.
"I think we reflexively see in politics anger and extremism as strength because it's brash and it's bold -- and somewhere we conflate that with strength," said Jolly, 54. "I am trying to show that kindness and community is actually the real strength."
Jolly's campaign for governor of Florida has been shaped from the start by the political realities of the once-crucial swing state: He is sharply outspent by Republicans, and the voter registration math isn't on his party's side.
Jolly's central bet hinges on winning over a coalition of voters that extends beyond the state's registered Democrats.
Donalds has portrayed Jolly's pitch as a moderate calling for civility as a facade. "This guy wants you to believe that he's some kind of reasonable independent voice but don't be fooled," Donalds said at the GOP midterm convention in September. "He is a career Washington lobbyist who has completely surrendered to radical socialism."
Florida Democrats see a narrow path to reverse years of electoral setbacks. They are hoping Jolly -- a former Republican congressman who became a Democrat in the Trump era -- can flip the governor's mansion for the first time in more than 30 years. They are also looking to win statewide races, break the GOP's supermajority in the state legislature and flip competitive congressional seats across Florida. Polls show Donalds with a tight lead in a state Trump won by 13 percentage points in 2024.
Donalds commands a massive war chest and strong support from the MAGA establishment. If elected, he would be the first Black Republican to serve as governor since Reconstruction.
The son of a Baptist preacher, Jolly frequently invokes the politics of the past, drawing inspiration from Democrats like former governors Bob Graham and Lawton Chiles as he talks about his faith and pitches cross-party coalition-building.
Jolly's campaign has zeroed in on kitchen-table affordability and frustrations over the artificial-intelligence data-center boom, while dodging the culture wars that have dominated Tallahassee for years.
"We've got politicians building ballrooms and data centers, when you just want to build a good life here in Florida," Jolly says in a 15-second ad, as he sits playing Uno with his wife and their two young children. "That's why I'm focused on housing, healthcare, food and gas, good schools for our kids, and no data centers. That's it."
National Democrats have made a late dash to boost Jolly. Former President Bill Clinton, who carried the state in 1996, visited South Florida to campaign with Jolly, hauling in over $3 million for him at a fundraiser. Former President Barack Obama, who won the state twice, released a video endorsement calling him "independent-minded." And the Democratic Governor's Association sent $1 million to boost Jolly's bid last month.
Jolly has been dramatically outraised by Donalds in the race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Donors have funneled more than $177 million to boost Donalds, while Jolly has brought in more than $27 million, according to Florida campaign-finance filings.
That spending gap has fueled open frustration among Florida Democrats and mocking from Republicans. "That is peanuts for a state as big as Florida," DeSantis wrote on X of the DGA investment.
Jolly has argued that flipping the state carries stakes extending well into the future. Florida is projected to gain congressional seats and Electoral College votes after the 2030 census, reflecting its population growth. "If Florida's voters elect a Democratic governor, we've reset the table for the White House in 2028," Jolly said.
Chris Korge, the Democratic National Committee's finance chair and a lifelong Floridian, described the contest as a "once-in-a-20-year race" that major donors have foolishly written off. It is an open-seat race in a year when Republican voters aren't as enthusiastic, he said, and there is a Democratic candidate with a "throwback Clinton type of politics."
"It is a perfect storm and we could wake up saying one of two things: Either 'Oh, my God, we won a race that no one thought we could win,' or what a shame that Democrats turned their backs," Korge said of the morning after the election.
Republicans have slammed Jolly for declining to debate Donalds -- a move that frustrated some Democrats hoping for prime-time exposure. Jolly countered that debates wouldn't produce constructive dialogue and would "only further stoke division, animosity, and bad will."
Republicans also criticize him for his party-switch. However, Donalds was a registered Democrat before joining the Tea Party wave about 15 years ago.
Florida Democrats point to a string of local and special-election victories as signs of momentum in the state, including Miami's election of a Democratic mayor late last year and a pair of Democrats flipping two Republican-held seats in the state legislature earlier this year.
Jolly has hit the trail alongside his ticket-mates, most notably state Rep. Angie Nixon, the progressive Senate nominee. Rather than papering over their differences, Jolly argues the two complement each other across the Democratic base.
Speaking to retirees at Century Village in Pembroke Pines earlier this year, Jolly brought a preacher's cadence to the podium, invoking the post-Watergate midterms of 1974 that wiped out Republican majorities.
He spoke of kitchen-table issues, like housing, healthcare and public schools, but he grew most animated as he shared his wish for a new era of politics after years of culture wars and roughly 30 years of one-party rule in Tallahassee.