Former Florida Democratic Party leader Jason Pizzo, who left the party last month saying it was “dead,” said Sunday that he’s planning to run as an independent in the 2026 governor’s race.
Pizzo, in an interview with CBS4 Facing South Florida's Jim DeFede, revealed his gubernatorial plans after DeFede asked him directly about running for governor.
“Yes, I am,” Pizzo told DeFede.
“We need somebody who can balance a checkbook, who understands finance, not just economic theory; who's concerned about infrastructure and resiliency and the environment and education and all of these things that are top of mind for people that are just trying to keep a roof over their head, keep their kids clothed and educated,” he said.
“They want people that say, listen, how am I going to pay my taxes? How am I going to pay my mortgage or my rent? When I flush my toilet, will it work? When it rains, is it going to inundate me with flooding? And can I really even afford to live here with property insurance?” he added.
Pizzo said he would not officially enter the race until September.
READ MORE: 'There is no party': Senate Leader Jason Pizzo explains his surprise exit from the Democratic Party
As a state senator in Tallahassee, Pizzo represents parts of Broward and Miami-Dade and assumed leadership of Senate Democrats after the 2024 election.
In a speech last month on the Senate floor, Pizzo condemned the party as “dead” and likened the current state of bipartisanship to “the fall of Rome.”
Florida Democrats immediately slammed Pizzo for his decision.
Florida DNC chair Nikki Fried ridiculed Pizzio's, calling his resignation “one of the best things to happen to the party in years.” She also called his announcement a “final embarrassing temper tantrum.”
Pizzo told WLRN his move to independent would help give a voice to Florida’s No-Party Affiliated voters and argued that the Legislature has been distracted away from tackling the issues that Floridians worry about.
"Anyone would have to argue and agree objectively [that] the last decade has been socially divisive, very loud distractions from actually resolving and addressing real needs of Floridians," he said.
If he officially joins the governor's race, he will face some formidable opponents.
Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds announced in late February that he’s running to be governor as a possible successor to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is term-limited after eight years in office. He got the influential endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Casey DeSantis, the governor’s wife, also a Republican, may also join the race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
On the Democratic side, former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, who switched from Republican to No-Party Affiliation and then more recently to Democrat, has formed a political action committee to explore a gubernatorial bid, according to POLITICO Florida.
Up until Pizzo’s decision to leave the Democratic Party, he was far ahead in a James Madison Institute statewide poll of Democratic primary voters asked about their preference for governor. In April, he led with 42%, far ahead of potential candidate Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
The latest poll by the James Madison Institute released May 9 shows Levine Cava with 32% of support among Democratic primary voters.
In the Republican primary race, the same poll shows Donalds and Casey DeSantis in a very close contest.
