Tallahassee, FL — With just six weeks left before Florida voters head to the polls, the state is on track for something that hasn’t happened since 1974: a general election season with no debates in any statewide race.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly announced Sunday that he will not share a stage with Republican nominee Byron Donalds before the November 3 election, closing the door on a debate in the marquee race of this year’s ballot. Jolly said he plans to keep campaigning across the state and meeting directly with voters instead, and urged Donalds to do the same. Yahoo!
The decision landed less than two weeks after U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, a Republican, ruled out debating her Democratic challenger, state Rep. Angie Nixon of Jacksonville. No debates are currently scheduled in the races for attorney general, chief financial officer, or agriculture commissioner, either — meaning Florida voters could go without seeing candidates in any statewide race debate this cycle. WUSF
A Break From Half a Century of Tradition
If it holds, this would be the first Florida governor’s race in more than 50 years without a televised debate. The last time voters didn’t get one was in 1974, when incumbent Gov. Reubin Askew was cruising to reelection with roughly 70% support in the polls. This year’s race looks nothing like that. A recent St. Pete Polls survey conducted for Florida Politics found Donalds and Jolly locked in a virtual dead heat, with Donalds at 44% and Jolly at 43% among likely general election voters. David Jolly rejects any debates with Byron Donalds in governor’s race +2
University of Central Florida political science professor Aubrey Jewett called the trend a loss for voters. “From a neutral, good-government perspective, that is a shame,” Jewett said, adding that debates — while imperfect — tend to show candidates in a less scripted setting than campaign ads allow, per remarks reported by Bay News 9’s Spectrum News.
How the Standoff Started
The dispute traces back to the Republican primary, when Donalds declined to debate his GOP rivals before winning the nomination in August. That approach carried over into the general election: the Donalds and Jolly campaigns have spent weeks trading accusations over who rejected whose debate proposals and who tried to set favorable terms. WFLA
Jolly’s campaign framed Sunday’s announcement as a response to bad-faith tactics, saying it had agreed to multiple debates before Donalds “refused them and instead set his own rules by press release.” Donalds shot back on social media, disputing the sequence of events and accusing Jolly of backing out after previously agreeing to a dozen debates.
Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power pushed back harder, arguing Jolly walked away only after Donalds agreed to televised forums, and called on broadcast partners including Spectrum News, News4Jax, Telemundo, and NBC6 to proceed with the scheduled events “with or without David Jolly.”
The Senate Race Follows the Same Script
In the Senate race, Moody — who has also declined to answer reporter questions about a separate $10 million Florida Hope program controversy — said she won’t debate Nixon because she doesn’t want to “platform” a candidate she’s called a “self-proclaimed socialist.” Nixon, in turn, has taken to calling Moody “Runaway Ashley” over the refusal. Yahoo!
Political analyst Susan MacManus told reporters this isn’t unique to Florida. “This is a pattern we are seeing across the country. Frontrunners are refusing to debate their opponents, and it’s Democrats and Republicans alike,” she said.
Not everyone thinks Jolly’s move was smart politics. Data analyst Vanessa Brito argued the decision could backfire, saying it hands Donalds a talking point and undercuts Nixon’s own argument that Moody is ducking the stage.
What’s Next
Election Day is November 3, and with the calendar shrinking, it’s unclear whether any last-minute pressure from broadcasters, party officials, or voters will change candidates’ minds. For now, Florida’s statewide races appear headed toward a campaign season decided entirely through ads, interviews, and door-knocking — not a single face-to-face debate.
Sources
- Douglas Soule, “Florida could go without debates in any general election statewide political race,” WUSF / Spectrum News, September 22, 2026.
- “David Jolly rejects any debates with Byron Donalds in governor’s race,” Yahoo News, September 21, 2026.
- “David Jolly accuses Byron Donalds of ‘bad faith,’ declines debates,” Yahoo News, September 21, 2026.
- “Skipping the stage: voters will miss key debates in Florida elections,” WFLA News Channel 8, September 22, 2026.
- “David Jolly rejects any debates with Byron Donalds in governor’s race,” Tampa Bay Times, September 20, 2026.
