# Florida Top Races See Few Debates as Candidates Avoid Stages Ahead of Election
*Governor hopefuls David Jolly and Byron Donalds skip debates, joining a trend of candidates avoiding public forums in Florida's key elections.*

- Medio: Civic Coast News (https://civiccoastnews.com)
- URL: https://civiccoastnews.com/noticia/florida-top-races-see-few-debates-as-candidates-avoid-stages-ahead-of-election
- Sección: Politics
- Autor: Civic Coast News Staff
- Publicado: 2026-09-22T08:39:04.286Z
> Governor hopefuls David Jolly and Byron Donalds skip debates, joining a trend of candidates avoiding public forums in Florida's key elections ahead of Nov 3 vote.

## Las claves

- David Jolly announced he will not debate Republican nominee Byron Donalds before the November election
- Both gubernatorial candidates avoided primary debates and are skipping general election stages
- Senate, Attorney General, and Congressional races also see candidates refusing or canceling debates

Florida voters are facing a general election cycle marked by an absence of candidate debates, particularly in the state’s most high-profile races. Democratic nominee for Governor David Jolly announced on Sunday that he will not participate in any further debates with Republican incumbent Byron Donalds prior to the November 3 election. The decision follows previous announcements from both campaigns regarding planned discussions with separate television stations across Florida.

### Gubernatorial Race Heats Up Without Debates

In a statement released by his campaign, Jolly cited the "tenor of the current campaign environment" as the primary reason for avoiding further debate stages. The campaign described Donalds' actions as involving "repeated lies and bad faith," arguing that debates would not foster constructive conversation but rather stoke division and animosity. According to the statement, Donalds’ advertisements and allegations have repeatedly been found false, with the Jolly camp asserting he is seeking avenues to mislead voters.

The Donalds campaign did not immediately respond to Jolly’s announcement upon its release. However, on Friday, a spokesperson for the Republican nominee stated that his team had accepted three debate invitations. Chief Strategist Ryan Smith emphasized in a statement that Floridians deserve to see both candidates side by side to hear their plans for governing the state, a story we covered in [Donalds and Jolly Advance to Florida Gubernatorial General Election](/noticia/donalds-and-jolly-advance-to-florida-gubernatorial-general-election).

### Broader Trend Across Florida Ballot

The avoidance of debates extends beyond the gubernatorial race, affecting numerous other significant positions on the ballot. Neither Jolly nor Donalds debated their respective primary opponents earlier in the year. With Election Day less than six weeks away and more than 200,000 mail ballots scheduled to go out in Miami-Dade County on September 24, candidates across Florida are either declining debate invitations or accusing opponents of dodging them, confirmed by [Florida Gov Race](https://orlandoledgernews.com/noticia/florida-gov-race-jolly-and-donalds-debate-stage-presence).

In the U.S. Senate race, Senator Ashley Moody turned down three proposals to debate Democratic opponent Angie Nixon. According to a report by Florida Politics, Moody stated she would not give her opponent "a stage or any attention," citing quotes from the Communist Manifesto and references to cop killers in Nixon’s speeches. In response, Nixon claimed that if Moody is too weak to step onto a debate stage, she is too weak to represent Floridians in the Senate, as this newspaper reported in [Florida Governor Race](/noticia/florida-governor-race-david-jolly-challenges-byron-donalds).

### Other Races See Similar Avoidance

The trend of avoiding public forums continues in other key contests. Democratic nominee for Attorney General José Javier Rodríguez challenged incumbent James Uthmeier on Facebook, demanding answers regarding alleged abuses and corruption. No debates have been scheduled between the two, and a spokesperson for Uthmeier did not immediately respond to requests for comment, [Orlando Ledger](https://orlandoledgernews.com/noticia/2026-florida-gubernatorial-race-key-candidates-to-watch) reported.

South Florida congressional races are also seeing reduced debate activity. Democratic nominee Eliott Rodriguez reported that incumbent Republican Maria Elvira Salazar has refused three invitations on South Florida TV channels and has no plans to accept future ones. Additionally, a planned debate between Congressman Jared Moskowitz and Republican challenger Scott Singer in Congressional District 25 was canceled after Moskowitz’s campaign did not accept the invitation.
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Fuente original: https://civiccoastnews.com/noticia/florida-top-races-see-few-debates-as-candidates-avoid-stages-ahead-of-election