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Florida residents will cast ballots Tuesday to determine the Republican and Democratic primary nominees in the contest to fill the governor’s office. With incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis barred by term limits from pursuing consecutive reelection, a substantial number of candidates have entered the race seeking his seat.
The Republican primary features 11 contenders vying for the party’s nomination, while the Democratic side includes six candidates. U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds has positioned himself as the leading Republican contender, commanding a decisive polling advantage over his opponents. A July survey conducted for Associated Industries of Florida showed Donalds ahead by 46 percentage points, a margin corroborated by other polling data tracked by The New York Times.
Donalds represents Florida’s 19th Congressional District, encompassing portions of Southwest Florida including Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs and Cape Coral. Among his Republican challengers are Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and James Fishback. The field also includes Jim Holcomb, Arthur McCaffrey, Daniel Nokovich, Rachel Rodriguez, James Shaw, Caneste Succe and Bobby Williams.
A dispute emerged over debate qualifications when the Florida GOP announced only Donalds satisfied polling thresholds for the Sunshine State Showdown event. Collins, Renner and Fishback objected to the criteria, and DeSantis similarly expressed concern. Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power stated candidates had agreed to the standards before launching campaigns, though some contenders disputed that account.
On the Democratic side, former U.S. Rep. David Jolly leads the six-candidate field in recent polls. Jolly, a former Republican congressman representing a Tampa Bay-area district, has selected former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham as his lieutenant governor running mate. State Rep. Dotie Joseph, who represents House District 108 in Miami-Dade County, also seeks the Democratic nomination alongside Fort Lauderdale educator Dayna Marie Foster, Evelyn Castillo-Bach, Thomas Fernandez and Stephann Norman.
Florida operates as a closed-primary state, requiring voters to maintain party registration to participate in their party’s primary contest. Primary winners will advance to November’s general election to determine DeSantis’s successor. Polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
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