Holmes Jr. is the Faith Leadership Chair for Jolly\u2019s campaign and leads \u2018Faith Leaders for Florida\u2019s Future,\u2019 a group of pastors from historically Black congregations who support Jolly.<\/p>\n
Graham served one term as the representative for Florida\u2019s 2nd Congressional District. She won the seat in 2014, defeat<\/a>ing<\/a>\u00a0U.S. Rep.\u00a0Steve Southerland in a surprising Democratic victory, even though it was a tough year for the GOP after President Barack Obama\u2019s re-election.<\/p>\n Graham did not seek re-election in 2016 because redistricting made her path to victory even more difficult. She opted instead to run for Governor in 2018, losing\u00a0the Democratic Primary to\u00a0Andrew Gillum\u00a0despite significant institutional backing.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Graham announced<\/a> she would not run again for her old seat, which U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn is vacating, setting up an open race in a year expected to favor Democrats. But that decision paved the way for Graham to run on Jolly\u2019s ticket.<\/p>\n The Jolly campaign has not confirmed Graham as the pick for Lieutenant Governor.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have anything to announce at this time,\u201d said Mark Riddle, a senior adviser\u00a0for\u00a0the Jolly campaign.<\/p>\n But look for a possible announcement on Thursday, when Jolly is slated to speak at \u201ca very important campaign rally<\/a>\u201d that \u201cyou won\u2019t want to miss\u201d in Miami. Appropriately, the rally is being held at the Graham Center Ballroom on the Florida International University campus.<\/p>\n The speculation about Graham as Jolly\u2019s No. 2 comes just days after the path to the Democratic nomination essentially cleared. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced on Friday that he was suspending his gubernatorial campaign<\/a> after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. No other prominent Democrat is in the race, though several Democratic candidates have filed with the state to run. Qualifying for the race is on Friday, and it will become clear then whether any of the unheard-of candidates will make the ballot.<\/p>\n A ticket with Graham on it would accomplish a lot for Jolly. Even after Demings departed from the race, some Democrats were still less than thrilled about Jolly\u2019s candidacy, most opposing him because he used to be a Republican. Some have encouraged voters to cast a ballot instead for Desmond Meade, an activist running as an independent. With Graham as his running mate, Jolly could potentially woo some reluctant Democrats with the former U.S. Representative\u2019s strong Democratic history. Graham is the daughter of former U.S. Senator and former Florida Gov. Bob Graham, also a Democrat.<\/p>\n Graham could also help Jolly\u2019s campaign appeal to women voters, bringing more balance to a field currently dominated by men.<\/p>\n Jolly has a tough road ahead, even if he\u2019s cleared in the Primary. As of the end of May, Republican front-runner Byron Donalds had reportedly raised more than $81 million<\/a>. By comparison, as of the end of March, Jolly\u2019s campaign had raised just $5 million.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ads-Florida-Politics-Abbott_728x90.jpg\")
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