The 2026 Florida gubernatorial election will take place on Nov. 3, 2026. The primary elections will take place on Aug. 18, 2026. Current Gov. Ronald DeSantis is unable to run again, leaving this predominantly-Republican state open to several new candidates, including Charles Burkett, Byron Donalds, James Fishback and Paul Renner. Notably, Jay Collins has publicly expressed interest in joining the Republican race, but has not officially declared that he is running.
The majority of the Republican gubernatorial candidates are Trump supporters with weak policy messaging, meaning the majority of votes will likely go to the Trump-endorsed candidate despite the candidate’s controversies and nonexistent policies.
Byron Donalds is the current U.S. Representative for Florida’s 19th Congressional District and a named “favorite” of President Donald Trump.
In a TruthSocial post, Trump said that Donalds was a “TOTAL WINNER” and would be “a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida.” Donalds officially jumped into the race five days later, publicly touting his Trump endorsement on his political website.
Donalds’ first policy is listed as implementing President Trump’s agenda to Make America Great Again (MAGA); this is, after all, the endorsement that matters in the gubernatorial Republican primary the most. His campaign is entirely reliant on Trump’s endorsement and fails to present meaningful policies of his own. Donalds’ touts deregulation as one of his policies while adding environmental preservation as another — his platform’s incoherent policies are saved only by Trump’s support.
His public statements have also been faced with scrutiny from the media, especially those praising the Jim Crow era of American history. Despite Donalds’ controversies and weak policies, due to Trump’s endorsement, he is poised to win in the Republican primaries in a landslide. According to polls, Donalds’ gained most of his support from MAGA Republicans. He has been on the campaign trail for months and has reserved $25 million in campaign funds.
Paul Renner, a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, notably served as an ally of DeSantis. However, DeSantis disagrees with his decision to run; he worries Renner’s entry will pull Republican votes away from Donalds. Renner is slated to win only 3% of the Republican vote according to polls.
Renner’s policies are weak if not nonexistent: he claims he will make living more affordable and improve schooling and community safety, but supports his claims only with inactionable or otherwise backwards plans.
For example, he cites one of his policies for ‘Safe Communities’ as being pro-Second Amendment despite Florida gun violence increasing en masse. His muddled policies lack a clear direction. Likewise, he tries to please his MAGA voter base by paying his allegiance to Trump.
“I’m a pro-Trump, pro-DeSantis Republican, through and through,” Renner said.
Relying on a pro-Trump stance to attract voters creates a weak campaign where no change is promised to Floridian voters.
Charles Burkett is the four-term Mayor of Surfside, a city in Miami-Dade County. His mayoral websites show America’s border security and protecting the American family, preserving Judeo-Christian values, continuing Israeli support and, surprisingly, a pro-choice position on abortion rights as his policies. He faced criticism during his time as mayor for his handling of police officers, attempting to interfere with their activity. His campaigning has been limited, causing it to be overshadowed by the two larger candidates.
Jay Collins, who serves as the current Lieutenant Governor of Florida, has, like Donalds, praised Trump publicly to gain support. He touts his experience as a veteran of the War on Terror, saying that he has “fought to protect our country” on his campaign website. However, what is glaringly missing are any policies or campaign promises: he entirely misses the mark on what is needed for a successful campaign.
However, some of his possible policies can be surmised through his record as a lieutenant governor and senator.
The position of Lieutenant Governor, which is not defined in the Florida Constitution, is generally considered to be needless. During his prior time as a Florida Senator, Collins sponsored Senate Bill (SB) 150 to allow the permitless carry of concealed firearms in Florida and SB 1264 mandating politically-charged communism history education in schools beginning in the 2026-27 school year. The law requires Florida schools to provide at least 45 minutes of instruction on Victims of Communism Day, including teaching about communist regimes.
In 2023, Collins voted for the Heartbeat Protection Act and publicly opposed the 2024 Florida Amendment 4, the latter of which would have enshrined a right to abortion in the Florida Constitution. In March 2025, Collins sponsored SB 918, which would change child labor laws to allow 14-17-year-olds to work more than eight hours a day on school nights and over 30 hours a week while school is in session, without mandated breaks.
During his time as a senator, he routinely defended DeSantis amidst a political scandal in which DeSantis illegally diverted money from non-profits to himself. His time as Lieutenant Governor was similarly controversial, particularly when leaked text messages showed he speculated DeSantis had autism in an insulting manner. He is slated to win only 2.5% of the primary vote.
Once again, a candidate who does not make his policies clear to voters is a weak candidate who will garner little attention without endorsements.
James Fishback, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of investment firm Azoria, is slated to win about 1% of the Republican vote. In his announcement video, he explains that he will address affordability by ending H-1B visas. However, critics say this will have the opposite effect in the way of damaging the U.S. economy.
Fishback also supports DeSantis’ legacy, but criticizes Donalds’ record in Congress. He resonates with his Republican base by posturing himself as anti-DEI, anti-‘radical transgenderism,’ anti-‘illegals’ and pro-Trump. He touts his Floridian and army veteran ancestry, but once again offers no meaningful policies like Collins and fails to garner any meaningful attention.
In pollings against potential Democratic candidates, namely Jerry Demings and David Jolly, the Republicans are slated to win every time by a large margin in the red state of Florida. The Republican primary will have Donalds as the clear victor in the race for governor, resulting in Floridians experiencing another four years of conservative policies.
Instead of meaningful policies, though, Republican candidates continue to rely on the support of other Republican figures to garner their own support, which ultimately falls flat when they do not receive the appropriate endorsements. This creates a political landscape in which no meaningful political change in either the left or the right direction is enacted.
