2026 Florida Governor Race

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is running for governor. Demings' campaign office said he'll be making the official announcement on Thursday. But he filed paperwork on Friday forming his account to run as a Democrat in the 2026 election.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and First Lady Casey DeSantis enjoy nearly identical leads in prospective one-on-one gubernatorial matchups versus Democrats David Jolly and Jerry Demings in a public opinion poll out Tuesday.

Paul Renner, the Republican former Florida House speaker who has just launched a campaign for governor, lacks the backing of either President Donald Trump or Gov. Ron DeSantis. He says he still win the GOP nomination by taking advantage of a deepening rift between DeSantis supporters and Trump loyalists ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial race

Renner, who left the House in November after two years as speaker, issued a statement that drew links with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who cannot run again because of term limits.