Florida voters won't see a debate between Jolly and Donalds -- or other top races

Alex Harris and Sofia Saric, Miami Herald on Sep 20, 2026

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It appears that few of the candidates vying for Florida’s top political positions will meet on a debate stage this campaign season, including the two men gunning to become the state’s next governor.

On Sunday, Democratic nominee for governor David Jolly announced he would not debate Republican nominee Byron Donalds prior to the Nov. 3 election, despite both candidates previously announcing planned debates with separate TV stations across the state.

“It is clear, given the tenor of the current campaign environment, including Byron’s repeated lies and bad faith, that debates this cycle would not create constructive, honest conversation and only further stoke division, animosity, and bad will,” the campaign said in a statement. “His ads and allegations have repeatedly been found to be false, and it is clear he is simply looking for avenues to continue misleading Florida’s voters.”

The Donalds campaign did not immediately respond to Jolly’s announcement. The campaign said Friday that it had accepted three debate invitations. “Floridians deserve to see these two candidates side by side and hear exactly what they would do as governor,” said Chief Strategist Ryan Smith in a statement.

Jolly’s announcement further dampens the prospects that voters will see candidates in significant races debate before they vote. Neither Jolly nor Donalds debated their primary opponents, and with Election Day less than six weeks away —and more than 200,000 mail ballots going out in Miami-Dade County on Sept. 24 — candidates up and down the ballot are either shooting down debates or accusing their opponents of ducking them.

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody turned down three proposals to debate Democratic opponent Angie Nixon, according to a report by Florida Politics. Moody told Florida Politics she was “not going to give a stage or any attention” to Nixon, who she said quotes the “Communist Manifesto” and “cop killers” when she takes the stage. A spokesperson for Nixon didn’t immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.

Democratic nominee for attorney general José Javier Rodríguez challenged Republican incumbent James Uthmeier to a debate in a post on Facebook, saying “Uthmeier needs to answer for his abuses and corruption.” There don’t appear to be any debates scheduled between the two. A spokesperson for Uthmeier’s office didn’t immediately respond Sunday to a request for debate information.

Debate woes have also cropped up in several congressional races in South Florida, including Congressional District 27.

Democratic nominee Eliott Rodriguez says his opponent, incumbent Republican Maria Elvira Salazar, has refused three debates on South Florida TV channels. And per reporting in Political Cortadito, the congresswoman has no plans to accept any debate invitations anytime soon. Salazar’s campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.

Last week, the Florida Voice reported that a planned debate between incumbent Congressman Jared Moskowitz of District 25 and Republican challenger Scott Singer, the mayor of Boca Raton, was canceled after Moskowitz’s campaign would not accept the invitation.