Democrat David Jolly bolsters his team as he campaigns for Florida governor

As the campaign for Florida governor heads into a sweltering summer, Democratic front-runner and former U.S. Rep. David Jolly is reloading with some top national and state talent.

On Tuesday, his campaign announced that it is adding three strategists. They are:

• Joe Trippi, one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent strategists with four decades of experience, was named senior adviser. He managed Howard Dean’s insurgent 2004 presidential campaign and helped lead Doug Jones’ successful longshot 2017 bid for the U.S. Senate in Alabama.

• Kimberly G. Jackson, named as a policy adviser, is an attorney, educator, policy leader and the executive director of the Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions at St. Petersburg College, where she led efforts to expand statewide engagement around evidence-based policymaking and civic participation.

• Christian Ulvert, a longtime Florida political strategist who has managed and advised at the local, legislative and statewide levels, was named senior adviser. As founder and president of Edge Communications, Ulvert built political infrastructure, coalition outreach and bilingual voter engagement across Florida’s diverse communities.

“This is a race with profound national implications,” Jolly said in a campaign statement. “As the country is now tuning into Florida and investing in Democratic prospects in the Sunshine State, we are continuing to build the team to win and deliver historic change. I’m thrilled to have Kimberly, Christian, and Joe on board.”

Since January, polls have consistently showed Jolly with a comfortable lead over his chief Democratic primary opponent, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. Of late, that lead has expanded into the double digits. A poll of 2,070 registered voters released this week showed Jolly leading Demings 42% to 27%.

The primary to decide the Democratic nominee is Aug. 18.

While some polls show Jolly stacks up well against the probable GOP winner, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, he lags far behind in campaign contributions.

Last week, Gates McGavick joined the Donalds campaign as its new communications director. McGavick has served as senior adviser to the chairman at the Republican National Committee and, most recently, deputy director of public affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice.