Poll Shows Jolly With 26-Point Lead Over Donalds in Broward in Florida Governor's Race
Key Takeaways
- •A Bendixen & Amandi International poll gives Democrat David Jolly a 52-to-26 percent lead over Republican Byron Donalds among Broward County voters.
- •Jolly's 26-point margin exceeds the roughly 17-point advantage Kamala Harris recorded in Broward during the 2024 presidential election.
- •The Cook Political Report moved the governor's race from 'Likely Republican' to 'Lean Republican,' citing a tightening contest between Jolly and Donalds.
- •Broward voters showed only narrow support for Amendment 3, which would raise the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 and needs 60 percent statewide approval to pass.
- •Donalds supports the property tax amendment, arguing homeowners need relief, while Jolly opposes it and instead advocates targeted measures such as aid for first-time homebuyers.

A new poll shows Democrat David Jolly holding a 26-point lead over Republican Byron Donalds among Broward County voters, offering a fresh look at one of the areas Democrats will count on heavily in Florida's increasingly competitive governor's race.
According to South Florida's Sun Sentinel, the Bendixen & Amandi International survey found Jolly ahead of Donalds 52 percent to 26 percent in Broward, one of Florida's largest and most reliably Democratic counties.
The result is county-specific rather than statewide, and Broward was always expected to favor Jolly. Kamala Harris carried the county by about 17 points in the 2024 presidential election, a margin Jolly's current standing already exceeds. Even so, Jolly's 26-point advantage gives Democrats the kind of cushion they would want in South Florida if they hope to overcome Republicans' statewide voter-registration advantage.
The poll also lands at a moment when the governor's race no longer looks as comfortable for Republicans as it once did. The Cook Political Report moved the contest from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican” this week, citing a tightening race between Jolly and Donalds — a rating that still favors the GOP but treats the contest as genuinely in play.
Broward is familiar political territory for Jolly in another sense. The former Republican congressman left the GOP years ago and eventually joined the Democratic Party, making his political transformation a constant part of the campaign.
Donalds, meanwhile, has campaigned as a conservative successor to Gov. Ron DeSantis and has enjoyed strong financial backing heading into the final stretch.
The Broward survey also found voters narrowly supporting Amendment 3, the property tax proposal that will appear on Florida's November ballot alongside the governor's race. The measure would dramatically increase the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes, raising it from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and then to $250,000 in 2028. It needs 60 percent statewide support to pass, a threshold its narrow support even in heavily Democratic Broward has yet to reach.
The issue has opened another clear divide between the two candidates.
Donalds supports the amendment and has argued that homeowners deserve relief after years of rising property tax bills. "The reason why I support Amendment Three is because property taxes have almost doubled in the state the past several years, personal budgets haven't doubled," Donalds said this week.
Jolly opposes the measure, warning that such a steep reduction in local tax revenue could hurt counties that depend on property taxes to pay for services. He has instead pushed for more targeted relief, including help for first-time homebuyers.
For now, the Broward numbers show Jolly doing what a Democrat needs to do in one of Florida's bluest corners: building a large lead. The harder question is whether he can carry enough of that strength beyond Broward to make the statewide race just as uncomfortable for Donalds.