On August 18, Florida voters will go to the polls to decide who will lead their political party in the primary election. The deadline for filing candidacies was June 12, 2026.
The candidate for governor then selects a running mate for the position of lieutenant governor, and they run together on the same ticket in the general election scheduled for November 3.
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is subject to term limits; he was elected in 2018 with 49.6% of the vote against 49.2% for Democrat Andrew Gillum, and reelected in 2022 with 59% of the vote against 40% for Charlie Crist (D). Currently, Republicans control the governor’s office and both chambers of the state legislature. It’s worth noting that Florida’s last Democratic governor was Kenneth H. Mackay, who left office in 1999.
Given what’s at stake this year, it remains to be seen who will hold the governorship. But first, who are the candidates, and how popular are they?
The Republican Candidates (GOP, “Grand Old Party”)
The most popular candidate among Republicans is undoubtedly Byron Donalds, who is backed by Trump but openly criticized by DeSantis.
A poll conducted by Associated Industries of Florida from June 3 to 7 among 386 Republican voters participating in the primaries shows that Donalds holds a comfortable lead in the Republican primary for governor, garnering 54% of the vote in a four-way race.
The poll attributes 8% of voting intentions to James Fishback, 5% to Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, and 2% to Paul Renner, while 31% of those surveyed remain undecided. While Donalds is currently positioned as the frontrunner according to several media outlets, Jay Collins remains Florida’s lieutenant governor and is close to Ron DeSantis, though he lacks official endorsement. As for Paul Renner, he is the former speaker of the state House of Representatives, and James Fishback is a businessman.
The Democratic Candidates
The Democratic Party is attempting to win back the Sunshine State, which has become strongly Republican in recent years. Leading in the Democratic polls is David Jolly, a former Republican representative who switched to the Democratic Party and is known for his moderate views.
A Change Research poll, conducted June 11–14 among 1,273 voters, shows that Democratic front-runner Jolly leads Republican front-runner Donalds in a hypothetical matchup for the November election by 5 percentage points.
Jolly has already chosen his running mate, Gwen Graham, the daughter of Bob Graham, a former U.S. senator and former governor of Florida.
The two other candidates in the race for the Democratic nomination are Jerry Demings, mayor of Orange County (Orlando) and a former sheriff, and Charles A. Lewis, who is less well-known to the general public but has already run for several local offices.
Independent Candidates and Other Parties
Florida consistently attracts a large number of candidates from outside the major parties. Among the independents are a diverse range of candidates (entrepreneurs, teachers, and former military personnel). One candidate is running for the Libertarians, another for the Constitution Party, and finally, two are write-in candidates (their names do not appear on the ballot, but voters can write them in).
Voter Registration
As of 2026, at the time of this writing, Florida has 13,374,067 registered voters: 5,542,778 Republicans, 4,027,885 Democrats, 485,808 registered with minor parties, and 3,317,596 registered without party affiliation (independents).
Translated by DeepL.
