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Every ad, checked · Byron Donalds' “Florida MUST remain free” ad · first seen October 16, 2026

Byron keeps saying it.
David keeps answering it.

The ad says: “David Jolly wants to bring socialism to Florida.”

A lie
0:3313 times, on tape, in his own voice.Download the phone cut

Byron Donalds keeps calling David Jolly a socialist. Is it true?

Every time, in his own words.

MS NOW · Aug 18 · August 18, 2026

“Look, I reject socialism. I'm a capitalist. We'll see how Florida's voters sort that out in November.”

MS NOW · The 11th Hour · Aug 19 · August 19, 2026

“I reject socialism. I reject the DSA. I'm a capitalist that thinks the private economy creates the greatest amount of economic mobility”

MS NOW · Peter Alexander · Aug 19 · August 19, 2026

“capitalist i reject socialism where the private sector can't solve certain issues in housing health care and education”

NewsNation · Cuomo · Aug 19 · August 19, 2026

“I condemn the DSA. I don't support socialism. I'm a capitalist that believes in the private economy.”

MS NOW · Aug 21 · August 21, 2026

“He screamed socialism and radical and all the stuff that scares himself and scares Republicans alike.”

Watch it · 7:27
CNN · The Situation Room · Aug 20 · August 20, 2026

“I condemn socialism. I'm a capitalist. He calls me a Trojan horse for socialism. I'm not sure what that means”

NewsNation · Cuomo · Aug 19 · August 19, 2026

“He's calling me a socialist. I denounce socialism. I'm a capitalist.”

MS NOW · Aug 18 · August 18, 2026

“We're going to commit to capitalism. We're going to let the private sector lead.”

Local news · Aug 18 · August 18, 2026

“Look, I believe in capitalism. I'm a former Republican. I think we should let the private sector lead.”

Local news · Aug 18 · August 18, 2026

“I'm a capitalist, but we know there are areas where government needs to fill the gap.”

CNN · The Lead · Aug 19 · August 19, 2026

“I'm a capitalist. I reject the Democratic Socialists of America.”

Watch it · 3:53 MS NOW · Aug 21 · August 21, 2026

“I actually talk about being a capitalist that believes capitalism creates the most amount of economic growth.”

Watch it · 5:49
MS NOW · Aug 18 · August 18, 2026

“Look, I reject the DSA. I reject socialism. I'm a capitalist, and I think capitalism provides the greatest amount of economic mobility.”

Byron keeps saying it. David keeps answering.

Byron Donalds' ad, first seen October 16, 2026, says: "David Jolly wants to bring socialism to Florida." The ad's frame reads "Florida MUST remain free." [13]

David Jolly has answered that claim on camera again and again. On August 18 he said, "Look, I reject socialism. I'm a capitalist." [1] On NewsNation the next day he said, "He's calling me a socialist. I denounce socialism. I'm a capitalist." [7] On CNN on August 20 he said, "I condemn socialism. I'm a capitalist. He calls me a Trojan horse for socialism. I'm not sure what that means." [6] He has also said, "I reject socialism. I reject the DSA. I'm a capitalist that thinks the private economy creates the greatest amount of economic mobility." [2]

These are not one-off lines. The record shows the same answer across multiple outlets on August 18, 19, 20 and 21, 2026. [4][10][12]

Two very different ways to run a campaign.

One campaign runs an ad built on a single word. Donalds' "Florida MUST remain free" ad asserts that Jolly "wants to bring socialism to Florida." [13] Jolly has described Donalds' approach this way: "He screamed socialism and radical and all the stuff that scares himself and scares Republicans alike." [5]

The other campaign answers on camera and on the record. Jolly repeated his rejection of socialism across interviews on MS NOW, CNN, NewsNation and local news over several days. [1][6][7][8] On the separate insurance claim in Donalds' earlier ad, PolitiFact found the $1,000 figure came from a Florida State University study that "didn't evaluate Jolly's plan, instead looking at a Florida House proposal from 2024." [15] Florida Politics reported the Donalds campaign "does not name the study behind the $1,000." [18]

So where does David actually stand?

Jolly rejects socialism and calls himself a capitalist. He has said, "I believe in capitalism. I'm a former Republican. I think we should let the private sector lead." [8] He has said, "I'm a capitalist that believes capitalism creates the most amount of economic growth." [11] He has also said, "Look, I'm a capitalist, I reject socialism." [3]

He describes a role for government where the private market falls short. He has said, "I'm a capitalist, but we know there are areas where government needs to fill the gap." [9] On insurance, the Miami Herald reported his plan as a statewide catastrophe fund funded through taxes on insurance companies, tourists, or real estate transactions. [19]

Working together isn't surrendering what you believe.

Jolly has framed this race as a coalition that reaches across party lines. He has said, "there's a coalition of voters across the state ready to elect a Democratic nominee." [14] He made that case at a "Republicans for Jolly" launch in St. Petersburg. [16]

His own words point the same direction on who Florida is for. He has said "diversity is not a threat. It's a strength" and asked, "Are we a nation strong enough to celebrate everyone's dignity?" [17] He has invoked Miami's first Hispanic mayor, Maurice Ferré, recalling the line, "if we fail to embrace the refugee, we might as well throw the Statue of Liberty into the East River." [20]

You don't have to wonder what David believes.

Ask him.

Listen to him.

Check the record.

Then decide for yourself.

Every ad, checked

Checked October 18, 2026. The sources are numbered below.

Explore this issue

OverviewThe truth about Byron Donalds' ads In depthThe "More For It" ad, checked claim by claim. In depthThe "Disaster" ad, checked claim by claim. In depthThe "Florida Paid the Price" ad, checked claim by claim.

Sources

  1. David Jolly on MS NOW · Aug 18, 2026-08-18: "Look, I reject socialism. I'm a capitalist. We'll see how Florida's voters sort that out in November.", no public link; document held by the campaign · 2026-08-18
  2. David Jolly on MS NOW · The 11th Hour · Aug 19, 2026-08-19: "I reject socialism. I reject the DSA. I'm a capitalist that thinks the private economy creates the greatest amount of economic mobility", no public link; document held by the campaign · 2026-08-19
  3. David Jolly on MS NOW · Peter Alexander · Aug 19, 2026-08-19: "capitalist i reject socialism where the private sector can't solve certain issues in housing health care and education", no public link; document held by the campaign · 2026-08-19
  4. David Jolly on NewsNation · Cuomo · Aug 19, 2026-08-19: "I condemn the DSA. I don't support socialism. I'm a capitalist that believes in the private economy.", no public link; document held by the campaign · 2026-08-19
  5. David Jolly on MS NOW · Aug 21, 2026-08-21: "He screamed socialism and radical and all the stuff that scares himself and scares Republicans alike.", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLad3VV_HU&t=447s · 2026-08-21
  6. David Jolly on CNN · The Situation Room · Aug 20, 2026-08-20: "I condemn socialism. I'm a capitalist. He calls me a Trojan horse for socialism. I'm not sure what that means", no public link; document held by the campaign · 2026-08-20
  7. David Jolly on NewsNation · Cuomo · Aug 19, 2026-08-19: "He's calling me a socialist. I denounce socialism. I'm a capitalist.", no public link; document held by the campaign · 2026-08-19
  8. David Jolly on Local news · Aug 18, 2026-08-18: "Look, I believe in capitalism. I'm a former Republican. I think we should let the private sector lead.", no public link; document held by the campaign · 2026-08-18
  9. David Jolly on Local news · Aug 18, 2026-08-18: "I'm a capitalist, but we know there are areas where government needs to fill the gap.", no public link; document held by the campaign · 2026-08-18
  10. David Jolly on CNN · The Lead · Aug 19, 2026-08-19: "I'm a capitalist. I reject the Democratic Socialists of America.", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewcMmSDpF8Q&t=233s · 2026-08-19
  11. David Jolly on MS NOW · Aug 21, 2026-08-21: "I actually talk about being a capitalist that believes capitalism creates the most amount of economic growth.", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLad3VV_HU&t=349s · 2026-08-21
  12. David Jolly on MS NOW · Aug 18, 2026-08-18: "Look, I reject the DSA. I reject socialism. I'm a capitalist, and I think capitalism provides the greatest amount of economic mobility.", no public link; document held by the campaign · 2026-08-18
  13. Byron Donalds on X, the "Disaster" ad: The on-screen citations in Byron Donalds' "Disaster" ad (posted September 9, 2026) name "FSU Herbert Wertheim College of Business, Expanded Windstorm Coverage F, https://x.com/ByronDonalds/status/2097668562550653105 · 2026-09-09
  14. David Jolly for Governor (YouTube): David Jolly, September 14, 2026 video: "Losing campaigns lie. What [Byron] is doing is using fear to try to stop progress, because he knows there's a coalition, https://youtu.be/swZUI_sHxVM · 2026-09-14
  15. PolitiFact: PolitiFact (September 21, 2026) found that the $1,000 figure in Byron Donalds' ad comes from a Florida State University study of what would happen if Citizens P, https://www.politifact.com/article/2026/sep/21/jolly-donalds-hurricane-insurance-1000-florida/ · 2026-09-21
  16. Florida Phoenix: David Jolly, September 14, 2026, on the Donalds ads: "It's all lies." "It does not include an additional $1,000 tax for homeowners. No governor is going to do t, https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/09/14/republicans-for-jolly-effort-launches-in-st-petersburg/ · 2026-09-14
  17. David Jolly campaign video, "Diversity in Florida" (manual transcript in forge_videos): In the campaign's "Diversity in Florida" video interview (March 2026), David Jolly says "diversity is not a threat. It's a strength," calls the legislature's mo, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZC03oRtma0 · 2026-03-12
  18. Florida Politics: Florida Politics (Peter Schorsch) reported that the Donalds campaign "does not name the study behind the $1,000"; that the FSU/OPPAGA feasibility study he locat, https://floridapolitics.com/archives/819063-byron-donalds-turns-lean-years-story-hurricane-warning-into-affordability-pitch/ · 2026-09-10
  19. Miami Herald (via InsuranceNewsNet): The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation already operates CHOICES, a public homeowners insurance rate comparison tool. The Miami Herald's September 11, 2026 f, https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/fact-check-where-candidates-donalds-and-jolly-stand-on-property-insurance · 2026-09-11
  20. David Jolly campaign video, "Voices on the Trail - Immigration" (manual transcript in forge_videos): In the campaign's "Voices on the Trail - Immigration" video interview at Maurice A. Ferré Park, David Jolly recalls: "it was the mayor who said, if we fail to e, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USP3pY0v9eE · 2026-09-14
  21. Florida HB 433 (2024), enrolled bill text [ruling 15 by Scout 2026-09-14: the Jolly home rule position in this row is his campaign's and verifies EXACT live at https://davidjolly.com/issues/ , 8,400 characters]: Florida House Bill 433 (2024), signed by Governor DeSantis on April 11, 2024, preempts local governments from setting their own minimum wages, heat protections,, https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/433/BillText/er/PDF · 2024-04-11

Last reviewed October 18, 2026.