The 2026 Florida gubernatorial election is less than a year away, and already promises to be a memorable one.
The race takes place in the context of a torrid love-hate relationship between incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump, an ongoing federal investigation into the Hope Florida charity, a new controversial initiative for the co-location of the Florida Schools of Hope that is drawing the ire of educational leaders across the state and the recent election of Miami’s first woman mayor. Mayor Eileen Higgins is also Miami’s first Democrat in almost 30 years, suggesting that Florida is more purple than the past few years have suggested.
With 34 officially registered candidates at the time of this article’s publication, many have wasted no time promoting their policies and racking up critiques in equal measure. Here are the most prominent candidates so far, and who else to keep an eye on.
Republican candidates: Donalds, Renner, Fishback
Florida has had only Republican governors since the late 1990s, paving the way for many Republican hopefuls to throw their hats in the ring. One of the first to do so was Byron Donalds, who announced his run far in advance in March 2025 and received an endorsement from Trump a month before that.
A member of the US House of Representatives since 2021, Donalds has long been a fan of Trump, with his first vote in Congress being to void the results of the 2020 presidential election. Donalds’ loyalty to Trump is also evident in his platform—his issues of interest include enacting the “Make America Great Again” agenda, along with opposing immigration, gun control and abortion access, fighting rising housing costs and improving water quality.
However, Donalds has also been the subject of some controversy for appearing to praise the Jim Crow era for “bringing the Black family…together.” Donalds’ wife Erika has also received flack for alleged misuse of government funds by her charter school company. Even so, Donalds is currently the top choice for Republican voters.
Another notable Republican candidate is former House speaker Paul Renner, who boasts a similar platform to Donalds and calls out “liberal billionaires” and “establishment Republicans” alike. On his campaign website he claims both groups want Florida “to be more like California.”
Renner has so far marketed himself as the safest bet for those who want to see Florida run as it has under the DeSantis administration. Notably, however, the long-time DeSantis ally has not secured an official endorsement from the incumbent governor. DeSantis went as far as to call Renner’s campaign “ill-advised,” leaving some skeptical about whether Renner, despite his experience, will win over Republican voters.
The final Republican candidate of note is James Fishback—but for very different reasons than the rest of the competition. Only 30 years old and with no previous political experience, Fishback is best known for serving as an advisor to the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Mostly unheard of compared to his competitors, Fishback’s areas of interest include combatting illegal immigration and “radical gender ideology” and supporting the shutdown of the H-1B program. He has also spoken about his Christian faith as “an inseparable part of our identity as a state.”
Fishback has only been in the running since Nov. 24, but has proven to be potentially the most controversial candidate from either party so far. He has come under fire for calling Donalds, an African-American man, a “slave to the corporate interests.” The Palm Beach Post has also reported that Fishback has received attacks from other notable Florida Republicans including Randy Fine, who called Fishback a “groyper weirdo” on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Groyper” refers to the followers of far-right political influencer Nick Fuentes, best known for his antisemitic and white supremacist viewpoints.
Most recently, Fishback is facing accusations of harassment from a former employee who claims that he entered a relationship with her when she was underage.
Despite these controversies, Fishback has strongly aligned himself with DeSantis and has reportedly been in contact with one of his top aides.
Democratic candidates: Jolly, Demings
David Jolly made waves when he announced his candidacy this summer. Formerly a Republican congressman, he is making his debut as a Democratic candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial election. Jolly was a vocal critic of Trump during his first term, and earned respect across party lines in 2016 when he called out all of Congress for operating secret call centers in order to fundraise from lobbyists and donors.
Jolly’s platform includes supporting public schools, campaign finance reform, reducing gun violence, clean energy and affordable healthcare. Jolly notably takes the stance of “fighting crime, not communities,” advocating for local control of community policies to crack down on crime without targeting immigrants. Jolly has claimed that Florida Republicans have gone too far in dividing the state, and stated that he has considered himself part of the “Democratic coalition” for about five years now.
However, Jolly has also received criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for one shared reason: he’s said to be too similar to Charlie Crist. Crist, a former Republican Florida governor, ran and lost as a Democrat in 2014 against Rick Scott and again in 2022 against DeSantis. Like Crist, some Republicans have claimed that Jolly’s switching sides demonstrates a lack of core values. Meanwhile, more liberal-minded critics have expressed skepticism about Jolly’s back-and-forth stance on abortion access and seeming lack of willingness to connect with Gen Z voters or embrace more liberal positions. Even so, Jolly has also secured several key endorsements, including former congressional representatives Gwen Graham, Karen Thurman and Donna Shalala, who also served as US Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Another Democrat of note is Jerry Demings, current mayor of Orange County, former Orange County sheriff and proponent of affordable healthcare, affordable housing and local control. He is also the husband of former US Representative and prominent Florida Democrat Val Demings, and his candidacy alongside Donalds marks the first time that two African American candidates have run for Florida governor at the same time. If either one is successful, he will be Florida’s first African American governor.
While Demings hasn’t garnered the same level of endorsements from big-name Florida Democrats, recent polls show that Demings and Jolly are neck-and-neck for the Democratic nomination—although Demings is also notably more popular among Black voters.
The odd ones out: Collins, Casey DeSantis
Perhaps the most interesting detail of the 2026 Florida gubernatorial election is who isn’t running…yet. Current Lieutenant Gov. Jay Collins has been heavily teasing his candidacy for months, but several Republican consultants who spoke with Politico have claimed that the only thing stopping him from formally launching his campaign is a lack of endorsement from DeSantis. This hasn’t stopped a mysterious nonprofit called the Florida Fighters from spending upwards of $900,000 on television ads for Collins. Collins himself has claimed no prior knowledge of these ads.
DeSantis has yet to endorse any candidate to go up against the Trump-backed Donalds. While one Republican consultant granted anonymity by Politico has stated that DeSantis doesn’t want Donalds to win, he also doesn’t seem to have a solid plan to stop him.
The closest DeSantis has come to endorsing anyone has been his own wife, whom he pitched as a potential candidate shortly after Trump endorsed Donalds in Feb. 2025. However, Casey DeSantis has no prior political experience beyond serving as Florida’s First Lady, and has not indicated that she will run at the time of this article’s publication.
Recent polls have suggested that if Collins were to officially enter the race, he could prove to be even more popular among Republican voters than Donalds, setting the stage for a Trump vs. DeSantis nominee showdown.
How to register to vote in Florida
Oct. 5, 2026 — Deadline to register to vote for the gubernatorial election. To check whether you’re registered to vote, click here.
Oct. 22, 2026 — Deadline to request a mail-in ballot.
Oct. 24-31, 2026 — Early voting period.
Nov. 3, 2026 — Election day. To find your nearest polling location or to get a sample ballot, click here and select the Supervisor of Elections website for your county.
