WFOR-TV

David Jolly, the Democratic nominee for Florida governor, said he would welcome former Vice President Kamala Harris to campaign with him, even suggesting she "should have beaten" Donald Trump in 2024. Harris lost Florida to Trump by more than 13 points that year and has had mixed reception on the trail this cycle, embraced by some Democrats in Michigan and Georgia while others in Iowa, Alaska, and Kansas have kept their distance.

Jolly, a former Republican who left the GOP in 2018, has aligned with several progressive positions on guns, healthcare, abortion, DEI, and immigration, despite branding himself a moderate. He has also campaigned alongside Senate nominee Angie Nixon, a Democratic Socialists of America member. Jolly faces Rep. Byron Donalds in the general election; recent polling has shown a wide range of outcomes, from a narrow Jolly lead to a substantial Donalds advantage. The race is being closely watched as a test of Democratic strategy in a state Trump won decisively, and of Harris's political future ahead of 2026 and a possible 2028 run.

Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Miami Republican, is facing pushback after releasing a campaign ad filmed outside the White House urging President Trump to soften immigration enforcement, warning his policies are hurting the GOP's standing with Latino voters. Many voters in her heavily Hispanic, majority-immigrant district say their support for Trump remains firm even as their confidence in Salazar has slipped, with some accusing her of political self-preservation and poor timing rather than genuine conviction.

Salazar faces Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez, a fellow former TV anchor, in a district Trump won by nearly 15 points in 2024 but which analysts now describe as competitive. Trump publicly criticized Salazar's ad but stopped short of harsher attacks he's aimed at other GOP critics; Salazar later said she had a "fantastic" follow-up conversation with him. The district has been heavily affected by immigration enforcement, with many Venezuelan, Haitian, Cuban and Nicaraguan residents losing humanitarian parole and TPS protections. The Cook Political Report still rates the race "likely Republican," though Democrats point to a fundraising surge for Rodriguez.

A Leon County grand jury report, first obtained by CBS News Miami, found that Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer money from a $67 million Medicaid settlement with Centene, Florida's largest Medicaid contractor. Jurors called the transfer "part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities." The funds were routed through the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity founded by first lady Casey DeSantis, then through two nonprofits before reaching political committees, including "Keep Florida Clean," run by then-chief of staff James Uthmeier, which spent the money opposing Amendment 3, the 2024 marijuana legalization measure that narrowly failed. The grand jury said no witness took responsibility for the original decision and cited insufficient evidence to charge anyone, though it urged changes to prevent similar misuse.

DeSantis did not dispute the report's legitimacy but said no laws were broken and vowed "consequences" for whoever leaked the sealed documents, previously calling scrutiny of Hope Florida politically motivated. Uthmeier, now attorney general and running for reelection with Trump's endorsement, called renewed scrutiny a "politically motivated hoax." Sen. Ashley Moody, attorney general during the settlement, was found to have known of and authorized the plan, though her office said it had no knowledge of how the funds would ultimately be spent. Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly called for the investigation to be reopened, making the case a flashpoint in Florida's 2026 elections.