Longtime Democratic leader backs Republican nominee as state Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis pushes back, renewing debate over the impact of cross-party endorsements in Florida politics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (FNN) — Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds has secured the endorsement of Gainesville City Commissioner Cynthia Moore Chestnut, a longtime Democrat and former state lawmaker, drawing criticism from fellow Democrats and putting Florida’s history of cross-party political support in the spotlight.
Chestnut announced her support for Donalds on Thursday and followed with a lengthy explanation defending her decision. She said she remains a Democrat but does not believe party affiliation should dictate her vote.
“My endorsement of Byron Donalds is not a betrayal of my values; it is a declaration that Black voters are not political property,” Chestnut wrote.
Chestnut, a former Florida House member, Alachua County commissioner and Democratic Party leader, said she wants to see Florida elect a Black governor in her lifetime.
That gives the endorsement additional historical significance. Donalds, who won the Republican nomination in Florida’s Aug. 18 primary, is seeking to become Florida’s first Black governor, according to The Associated Press.
The endorsement is also notable because Chestnut previously supported Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly before shifting her support to his Republican opponent. Current reporting confirms Chestnut’s endorsement and her subsequent defense of the decision.
State Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis Pushes Back on Donalds Endorsement
Democratic state Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis of Ocoee responded with an extensive public statement saying she was “deeply disappointed” by Chestnut’s decision.
Bracy Davis focused much of her criticism on Donalds’ record on voting rights, including his opposition to federal voting-rights legislation and to the proposed Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act, which Bracy Davis sponsors.
“I want to see a Black governor of Florida in my lifetime too,” Bracy Davis wrote, while arguing that representation should not be separated from a candidate’s voting record and policy positions.
The disagreement presents competing views of political independence. Chestnut argues that Black voters should not be treated as the political property of either party. Bracy Davis argues that representation should be weighed against a candidate’s record and policies.
Byron Donalds’ Jim Crow Remarks Resurface
Bracy Davis also invoked Donalds’ controversial 2024 comments about Black families during the Jim Crow era.
Donalds said at a Philadelphia event that “during Jim Crow, the Black family was together” while discussing marriage and family structure. Democrats sharply criticized the remarks, while Donalds rejected interpretations that he was praising segregation.
The distinction is important: Donalds did not explicitly say Black Americans were better off under Jim Crow.
Cynthia Moore Chestnut Points to FAMU and Black Representation
Chestnut also cited Donalds’ connection to Florida A&M University and the importance she places on Black representation.
Donalds attended FAMU before transferring to Florida State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree.
Chestnut, a FAMU graduate, said she respects Donalds’ support for historically Black colleges and universities and also cited shared cultural connections through his Jamaican and Panamanian family background.
Bracy Davis countered that attending an HBCU should not substitute for examining a candidate’s political record.
David Jolly Was a Republican Before Becoming a Democrat in 2025
Party affiliation adds another dimension to the controversy.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly represented Florida in Congress as a Republican from 2014 to 2017. He left the Republican Party in 2018 and became an independent.
Jolly remained unaffiliated for several years before registering as a Democrat in April 2025, as he considered entering the 2026 governor’s race.
He subsequently entered the race and won the Democratic nomination in the Aug. 18 primary. AP described the contest as Donalds, the Republican nominee, against Jolly, a former Republican congressman running as the Democratic nominee.
The circumstances differ from Chestnut’s decision: Jolly formally changed parties; Chestnut says she remains a Democrat while supporting the Republican nominee.
The history nevertheless creates an unusual political contrast: a longtime Democrat is supporting Donalds over a Democratic nominee who previously represented Florida in Congress as a Republican.
Byron Donalds Adds $1 Million From Orlando-Based Morgan & Morgan
Chestnut’s endorsement comes as Donalds continues attracting substantial financial support heading into the general election.
A Florida National News review of Florida Division of Elections campaign-finance records found that Morgan & Morgan contributed $1 million to Friends of Byron Donalds PAC on Aug. 26, 2026.
The contribution appears in the committee’s 2026 G1A report and identifies the contributor as “Morgan & Morgan,” with an address at 20 N. Orange Ave., 16th Floor, Orlando.
The same report shows 18 contributions totaling approximately $1.93 million, meaning the Morgan & Morgan contribution accounted for more than half of the money listed in that group of contributions.
Morgan & Morgan was founded by Orlando attorney John Morgan, who has a long history of political involvement and support for Democratic candidates and causes, although his political activity has crossed party lines.
The distinction is important: Florida’s filing identifies Morgan & Morgan — not John Morgan personally — as the contributor of the $1 million.
For Donalds, the developments represent two different forms of support as the general election takes shape: a seven-figure contribution from a prominent Orlando law firm and a cross-party endorsement from a Democratic elected official with decades of experience in Florida politics.
Buddy Dyer, Gary Siplin and Victoria Siplin Show Cross-Party Support Is Not New
Chestnut’s decision has generated attention, but Democratic elected officials supporting Republican candidates is not unprecedented in Central Florida.
During the 2024 Orange County Commission District 5 race, Democratic Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer endorsed Republican former Winter Park Mayor Steve Leary.
Samuel Vilchez Santiago, then-chairman of the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee, told Winter Park Voice that the organization “sent out texts and mailers alerting voters that Leary is a Republican, not a Democrat.” Vilchez Santiago said those communications were not issued in response to Dyer’s endorsement, but were intended to educate voters.
However, former Democratic state Sen. Gary Siplin and Orange County Commissioner Victoria Siplin, also a Democrat, supported Leary as well.
Those endorsements occurred in an officially nonpartisan county election, an important distinction from the partisan governor’s race, although the candidates’ political affiliations were publicly known.
The examples nevertheless demonstrate that prominent Central Florida Democrats have previously crossed party lines to support Republican candidates.
Angie Gallo Endorsed Republican Joel Montilla and Served as His Campaign Manager
Another example emerged during the same 2024 Orange County Commission election.
Angie Gallo, an elected Orange County School Board member who served as board vice chair, publicly endorsed Republican Joel Montilla during his campaign for the District 5 commission seat.
Her involvement extended beyond an endorsement.
A Joel Montilla campaign press release dated Oct. 24, 2023, identifies “Angie Gallo — Campaign Manager” in the campaign’s contact information, providing direct campaign documentation of her role.
The campaign subsequently publicized Gallo’s endorsement of Montilla.
The distinction is significant: the documentary record establishes both a formal campaign-management role and a public endorsement.
The Orange County Commission race was officially nonpartisan, although Montilla’s Republican affiliation was publicly known.
Gallo’s involvement provides additional context for questions about when cross-party political activity becomes subject to internal Democratic Party rules.
Former Democratic State Rep. Daisy Morales Adds Context to Party-Loyalty Debate
Former Orlando state Rep. Daisy Morales, a Puerto Rican Democrat, provides another Central Florida example relevant to the debate over party loyalty and political independence.
On April 21, 2022, Morales joined Black Democratic lawmakers protesting a congressional redistricting map backed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on the Florida House floor.
The demonstration received state and national attention.
The Miami Herald reported that several Black Democrats disrupted debate and that Democratic lawmakers sang “We Shall Overcome,” temporarily forcing the House into recess.
The Herald identified Morales alongside Democratic Reps. Yvonne Hinson, Travaris McCurdy and Angie Nixon in its reporting and accompanying photograph.
Morales carried a sign declaring:
“Legislators serve the people. Not your party.”
The Herald reported that McCurdy, Nixon and Rep. Felicia Robinson sat in the center aisle while more than a dozen Democratic colleagues gathered around them in solidarity. The Republican-controlled House later approved the congressional map 68-38 along party lines.
The demonstration also received national coverage.
NBC News, in reporting preserved through syndication, identified Morales as the Hispanic representative participating in the demonstration and subsequently issued a correction after initially identifying another lawmaker.
The episode placed Morales alongside Black Democratic lawmakers in one of the Legislature’s most visible protests of the 2022 congressional redistricting fight.
FNN also reported on the demonstration at the time, describing Democratic lawmakers as temporarily shutting down House proceedings while protesting the congressional map.
Two years later, Morales became involved in an Orange County Democratic Party dispute over an alleged loyalty-oath violation connected to the 2024 Orange County Commission District 5 election.
Morales disputes that she endorsed Republican Joel Montilla, maintaining that her involvement was limited to joining his campaign-launch host committee. Montilla has separately told FNN that Morales did not endorse him.
That creates a notable factual contrast with Gallo: Montilla’s own campaign documentation identifies Gallo as his campaign manager, and she subsequently publicly endorsed him.
The available record does not, however, establish that Morales and Gallo were subject to identical Democratic Party membership requirements, loyalty provisions or disciplinary authority.
State Rep. Jose Alvarez Crossed Party Lines, Then Withdrew His Support
Cross-party support has also occurred in partisan legislative politics.
Democratic state Rep. Jose Alvarez of Kissimmee endorsed Republican state Rep. Fabián Basabe for reelection in 2025, saying his decision reflected his experience working with Basabe rather than their different party affiliations.
Alvarez later rescinded the endorsement in July 2026 and called for Basabe to resign following a civil jury verdict involving two former House employees.
The episode nevertheless provides another recent example of a Central Florida Democrat publicly supporting a Republican candidate.
Cross-Party Support and Democratic Party Discipline Are Different Questions
The examples involving Chestnut, Dyer, the Siplins, Gallo, Morales and Alvarez highlight an important distinction between cross-party political support and internal party discipline.
Being a registered Democrat or Democratic elected official does not necessarily make someone subject to the same county party loyalty oath, bylaws or disciplinary procedures.
That distinction is part of an unresolved dispute involving former state Rep. Daisy Morales, who filed a defamation lawsuit and sought a Florida Elections Commission investigation challenging campaign claims that she endorsed Republicans and was expelled from the Orange County Democratic Party. The allegations remain unresolved, and no finding of an election-law violation has been established.
The comparison with Angie Gallo is notable. The documentary record establishes Gallo’s formal role in Republican Joel Montilla’s campaign and her public endorsement, while Morales disputes endorsing Montilla — and Montilla has independently said Morales did not endorse him.
Whether the two were subject to the same party rules and disciplinary authority remains a separate factual question. Their situations can therefore be compared politically without assuming they constituted identical violations of Democratic Party rules.
Cynthia Moore Chestnut Says She Remains a Democrat
Chestnut has made clear that she does not consider supporting Donalds a departure from the Democratic Party.
“This endorsement does not mean I have stopped being a Democrat,” she wrote.
Instead, Chestnut framed her decision as an exercise of political independence and argued that Black voters should not be expected to support candidates solely on the basis of party affiliation.
Bracy Davis sees the endorsement differently, arguing that Donalds’ record on voting rights and other issues conflicts with principles Chestnut has advocated during decades in Democratic politics.
Their disagreement has transformed a single gubernatorial endorsement into a broader discussion about representation, party loyalty, policy and political identity.
What Comes Next: Will Other Democrats Follow Chestnut?
Chestnut’s endorsement now raises a broader question heading into the general election: Will other Democratic elected officials or longtime party leaders cross party lines and publicly support Donalds?
For now, Chestnut represents a notable individual endorsement rather than evidence of a broader Democratic movement toward the Republican nominee.
But the question carries added significance because of the historic nature of Donalds’ candidacy.
The Associated Press reported after the Aug. 18 primary that Donalds won the Republican nomination and is seeking to become Florida’s first Black governor. AP also placed Donalds among a historically significant group of Black major-party gubernatorial nominees running across the country in 2026.
Donalds has emphasized that winning the general election will require more than support from within his Republican base. After the primary, he told reporters that President Donald Trump’s endorsement was important but would not, by itself, carry him through the general election.
Chestnut has placed greater emphasis on the historic dimension. In explaining her endorsement, she explicitly cited her desire to see a Black governor of Florida during her lifetime.
That makes what happens next worth watching: whether Chestnut’s endorsement remains an individual cross-party decision or whether additional Democratic elected officials, party figures or other traditionally Democratic political supporters make similar choices before November.
The 2026 contest already presents an unusual political contrast: Donalds is seeking to become Florida’s first Black governor, while Jolly represented Florida in Congress as a Republican, left the GOP in 2018 and became a Democrat in 2025. Chestnut, a Democrat with decades of party involvement who says she remains one today, has chosen to support Donalds.
Whether other Democrats follow Chestnut remains an open question.
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