# Florida Top Races Lack Debates as Candidates Dodge Stage Appearances
*Governor and Senate hopefuls skip debates, leaving voters with limited direct engagement before the November election.*

- Medio: Orlando Ledger News (https://orlandoledgernews.com)
- URL: https://orlandoledgernews.com/noticia/florida-top-races-lack-debates-as-candidates-dodge-stage-appearances
- Sección: Politics
- Autor: Orlando Ledger News Staff
- Publicado: 2026-09-22T07:10:29.738Z
> Florida’s top political contests will feature no debates as candidates dodge stages, citing bad faith and false claims from opponents ahead of the Nov 3 vote.

## Las claves

- Governor David Jolly refuses to debate Byron Donalds over campaign tenor
- Sen. Ashley Moody declines three debate proposals against Angie Nixon
- Multiple congressional races also lack scheduled candidate debates

Florida voters are facing an unusual electoral landscape in the upcoming November elections, as several high-profile candidates have opted out of public debates. The trend began with Democratic nominee for Governor David Jolly announcing that he would not participate in a debate against Republican incumbent Byron Donalds prior to Election Day on Nov. 3. This decision follows previous announcements by both campaigns regarding planned discussions with separate television stations across the state, but those plans have now collapsed.

### Governor’s Race Heats Up Without Face-to-Face Debate

In a statement released Sunday, Jolly’s campaign cited the "tenor of the current campaign environment" as the primary reason for skipping the stage. The campaign accused Donalds of spreading lies and acting in bad faith, arguing that debates would only stoke division rather than create honest conversation. They noted that ads and allegations from the Republican side have repeatedly been found to be false.

Conversely, the Donalds campaign stated on Friday that it had already 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 Donalds team did not immediately respond further to Jolly’s specific announcement of withdrawal.

### Senate and Other Key Races Also Skip Debates

The avoidance of debate stages extends beyond the governor's race. U.S. Senator Ashley Moody turned down three proposals to debate her Democratic opponent, Angie Nixon. According to reports from Florida Politics, Moody stated she would not give a stage or attention to Nixon, whom she accused of quoting the "Communist Manifesto" and using inflammatory language.

Nixon responded by suggesting that if Moody is too weak to step on a debate stage, she may be unfit to represent Floridians in the U.S. Senate. Nixon highlighted issues such as lowering rent and slashing property insurance rates, contrasting her platform with what she described as hidden healthcare money for sick kids, as this newspaper reported in [Florida Gov Race](/noticia/florida-gov-race-jolly-and-donalds-debate-stage-presence).

### Impact on Voter Engagement

This pattern of avoiding debates dampens prospects for voters to see candidates in significant races before they cast their ballots. With Election Day less than six weeks away and more than 200,000 mail ballots already going out in Miami-Dade County on Sept. 24, the lack of direct engagement is notable.

Similar situations are occurring in congressional races. In District 27, Democrat Eliott Rodriguez claims Republican Maria Elvira Salazar has refused three debate invitations and plans to accept none soon. Additionally, a planned debate between incumbent Jared Moskowitz and challenger Scott Singer was canceled after Moskowitz’s campaign would not accept the invitation.
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Fuente original: https://orlandoledgernews.com/noticia/florida-top-races-lack-debates-as-candidates-dodge-stage-appearances