Florida Democrat David Jolly 'Begging' for Money After Ritz Carlton Hotel Habit

Florida Democrat Gubernatorial candidate David Jolly went on the record last week openly “begging” national Democrats to pour money into his race against Republican Byron Donalds. However, Jolly made a habit of staying in Ritz Carlton hotels in at least six separate cities with donor funds during his campaign, according to campaign finance disclosures.

Jolly has stayed at Ritz Carlton locations during campaign travel in Miami, Washington, D.C., Naples, Fort Lauderdale, Boston, and New York City. Average room rates range from $500 to over $1,200 during peak times in most of the locations in which Jolly has stayed.

X user Mark Glaeser posted the disclosures at the end of September. He noted that the fancy hotel stays include a portion paid by Florida taxpayers under Florida’s campaign finance laws regarding matching funds.

The left-wing Florida Phoenix reported on a recent Jolly campaign event, where he said, “I need the national Democratic Party to come into Florida and start spending money.”

In September, Jolly reported $3.3 million in his campaign account, a far cry from Donalds’ war chest.

Donalds has raised $135 million across his campaign accounts through September 30 as polls have shown the race tighter than expected.

Jolly, a former Republican Congressman and lobbyist turned Democrat, has attempted to position himself as a moderate in the race. Breitbart News previously reported he wants to apologize to the world for Florida’s “culture wars” and sided with disgraced former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) head Anthony Fauci during the pandemic, fleeing Florida for Pennsylvania and insulting Gov. Ron DeSantis.

He has also supported allowing transgender males to play in girls’ sports, wants to “crush” the state’s famous gun culture, and hopes to end the state’s successful school choice programs.

Democrat pollster Change Research surveyed the race at the end of September and gave Jolly a two-point lead among likely voters, with 48 percent to Donalds’ 46 percent.

Follow Matt Mercer on X: @mattmercer.