Gwen Graham, a former congresswoman and daughter of the late Gov. Bob Graham, joins David Jolly's Democratic ticket for Florida lieutenant governor.

The Nov. 3 general election features Graham and Jolly, who filed qualifying paperwork in Tallahassee on June 10, according to WUSF. Graham said in a candidate questionnaire submitted to the St. Johns Record that she and Jolly align on housing, health care, education and opposition to data centers.

Candidate information

  • Full name: Gwen Graham
  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: Florida lieutenant governor
  • Election: Nov. 3 general election
  • Running mate: David Jolly (gubernatorial candidate)
  • Residence: Tallahassee, according to ClickOrlando/WKMG, where she lives with her husband Steve
  • Born: Jan. 31, 1963, in Miami Lakes
  • Education: Bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1984); juris doctor from American University Washington College of Law (1988)

Other candidates for lieutenant governor, according to BallotReady: Bryan Avila (Republican), Benjiman Rojas (No Party Preference), Joe Van Vactor (No Party Preference), Juan Santana (No Party Preference), Nicole Skelly (Libertarian), Rachel Rodriguez (No Party Preference) and Ruben A. Coto (No Party Preference).

Experience and public service

Graham represented Florida's 2nd Congressional District, serving from 2014 until Jan. 3, 2017. She defeated Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland in 2014, one of only two Democrats nationally to unseat an incumbent Republican that year, according to Wikipedia.

While in Congress, she served on the Armed Services and Agriculture committees, Graham said in her questionnaire. She said she and Jolly co-sponsored legislation with Sen. Bill Nelson and opposed oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Graham said she joined U.S. Rep. John Lewis in his sit-in against gun violence and at the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama.

She ran for Florida governor in 2018. She lost to Andrew Gillum. Graham finished second in a seven-person Democratic primary with 31.3% of the vote, losing by 47,289 votes, according to Wikipedia.

Graham served as assistant secretary for legislation and congressional affairs at the U.S. Department of Education from Oct. 8, 2021, to Jan. 20, 2025, according to Wikipedia. Before entering politics, she worked as director of employee relations at Leon County Schools and as an associate attorney at Andrews & Kurth in Washington, D.C., according to Wikipedia.

Her father, Bob Graham, served as Florida's governor and as a U.S. senator. He died in 2024, according to WUSF. Graham continues a tradition her father started called "Workdays," spending full shifts working alongside Floridians at their jobs. She performed more than 50 Workdays during her campaigns for Congress and governor, according to Wikipedia.

On the issues

Housing: Graham said in her questionnaire that the Jolly-Graham administration would work to lower homeowner's insurance costs by creating a state catastrophic fund that removes hurricane coverage from the private market. She said they would fully fund the Sadowski Housing Trust Fund to expand workforce and affordable housing.

Public education and teacher pay: Graham said on her campaign website that "Florida pays its teachers the least in the country. That breaks my heart." She said in her questionnaire that the administration would pursue a 10-year effort to raise teacher pay and ensure all publicly funded choice schools meet the same academic and service standards.

Health care: Graham said in her questionnaire that the administration would work to expand Medicaid and access to primary care through community health clinics, nonprofits and federally qualified health centers.

Congressional redistricting: Graham said she would be open to exploring an independent redistricting commission to draw political boundaries, according to NBC Miami. She said voters should have more meaningful choices in general elections rather than having races decided during party primaries.