2026 Florida gubernatorial election

Last updated

2026 Florida gubernatorial election
Flag of Florida.svg
  2022 November 3, 20262030 
  3x4.svg 3x4.svg Jason Pizzo.jpg
NomineeTBDTBD Jason Pizzo
Party Republican Democratic Independent

Incumbent Governor

Ron DeSantis
Republican



The 2026 Florida gubernatorial election will take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next governor of Florida, alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third consecutive term.

Contents

Background

A heavily populated South Atlantic state with a large and increasingly conservative Latino American population and the northern parts lying in the Bible Belt, Florida is considered to be a moderately to strongly red state, having not elected a Democratic governor since 1994 nor a Democrat for president since 2012 and having moved significantly rightward in the last decade. In 2022, incumbent Governor Ron DeSantis was re-elected by a 19.4% margin, a considerable improvement from his 0.4-point victory four years earlier in the gubernatorial election during the 2018 blue wave. This was followed two years later by Republican Donald Trump winning his adoptive home state by a 13% margin as he won a second non-consecutive presidential term, improving his 3.4% margin of victory in 2020 and seemingly diminishing Florida's longtime swing-state status.[ citation needed ] Republicans also control all statewide offices, a large majority of the state's U.S. House delegation, both U.S. Senate seats, and supermajorities in both houses of the Florida Legislature.

Eligibility and requirements

Article IV, Section 5(b) of the Florida Constitution states that, for a person to serve as governor, they must: [1]

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Publicly expressed interest

Potential

Withdrawn

Declined

Endorsements

Byron Donalds

U.S. Presidents

Executive Branch Officials

U.S. Senators

  • Rick Scott, U.S. senator from Florida (2019–present); 45th Governor of Florida (2011–2019) [15]

U.S. Representatives

  • 20 U.S. representatives [a]

State executive officials

  • Carlos Beruff, former chair of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (2017–2018) [13]
  • Erika Donalds, former member of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (2017–2018) (candidate's wife) [25]

State legislators

Individuals

Organizations

Polling

Hypothetical polling
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size [b]
Margin
of error
Casey
DeSantis
Byron
Donalds
Matt
Gaetz
Ashley
Moody
Jeanette
Nuñez
Jimmy
Patronis
Wilton
Simpson
Francis
Suarez
Michael
Waltz
OtherUndecided
University of North Florida [32] July 14–22, 2025797 (RV)± 3.9%32%29%8%1%2%10% [c] 18%
St. Pete Polls [33] [34] [A] July 8–10, 2025831 (LV)± 3.4%27.4%34.9%3.1%2.2% [d] 32.4%
Targoz Market Research [35] [36] [B] May 5–7, 2025516 (RV)29%28%10%7%4%5%4% [e] 13%
Targoz Market Research [35] [37] [B] April 15–22, 2025619 (RV)28%22%8%9%4%7%4% [e] 18%
Fabrizio, Lee & Associates (R) [38] February 26–27, 2025600 (LV)± 5.0%30%34%3%33%
Victory Insights (R) [39] January 26–27, 2025850 (LV)± 3.5%34%5%61%
31%4%3%1%60%
Florida Atlantic University/
Mainstreet Research
[40]
June 8–9, 2024366 (RV)± 3.3%43%19%13%14%5%7% [f]
Victory Insights (R) [41] April 3–6, 20241,200 (LV)± 2.9%21%13%3%2%5%14% [g] 43%
University of North Florida [42] October 23 – November 4, 2023788 (LV)± 3.8%22%9%9%6%2%3%1%1%1%6% [h] 40%

Casey DeSantis vs. Matt Gaetz

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size [b]
Margin
of error
Casey
DeSantis
Matt
Gaetz
OtherUndecided
Florida Atlantic University/
Mainstreet Research
[43]
April 15–17, 2024372 (RV)± 3.3%38%16%20% [i] 26%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Publicly expressed interest

Potential

Declined

Endorsements

David Jolly

U.S. representatives

Statewide officials

State legislators
  • 58 state legislators [j]

Polling

Hypothetical polling
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size [b]
Margin
of error
Jason
Pizzo
Daniella Levine
Cava
Gwen
Graham
David
Jolly
Lauren
Book
Angie
Nixon
Shevrin
Jones
Fentrice
Driskell
OtherUndecided
Targoz Market Research [35] [36] [B] May 5–7, 2025396 (RV)32%13%10%7%6%4%7%21%
Targoz Market Research [35] [37] [B] April 15–22, 2025464 (RV)41%15%5%7%4%4%2%1%21%

Independent and third-party candidates

Independent candidates

Declared

Filed paperwork

Endorsements

Jason Pizzo

Organizations

Libertarian Party

Filed paperwork

General election

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [58] Solid RJanuary 23, 2025
Inside Elections [59] Solid RFebruary 6, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball [60] Safe RMay 1, 2025
Race to the WH [61] Tilt RJune 30, 2025

Polling

Byron Donalds vs. David Jolly

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size [b]
Margin
of error
Byron
Donalds (R)
David
Jolly (D)
Undecided
Victory Insights [62] June 7–10, 2025600 (LV)± 2.8%37%31%32%
Hypothetical polling

Byron Donalds vs. Daniella Levine Cava vs. Jason Pizzo

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size [b]
Margin
of error
Byron
Donalds (R)
Daniella Levine
Cava (D)
Jason
Pizzo (I)
Undecided
Targoz Market Research [35] [36] [B] May 5–7, 20251,200 (RV)± 2.8%38%34%5%23%

Casey DeSantis vs. Daniella Levine Cava vs. Jason Pizzo

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size [b]
Margin
of error
Casey
DeSantis (R)
Daniella Levine
Cava (D)
Jason
Pizzo (I)
Undecided
Targoz Market Research [35] [36] [B] May 5–7, 20251,200 (RV)± 2.8%39%35%8%18%

Generic Republican vs. generic Democrat

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size [b]
Margin
of error
Generic
Republican
Generic
Democrat
Undecided
Cygnal (R) [63] October 26–28, 2024600 (LV)± 4.0%48%41%11%

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. "Someone else" with 7%; "Wouldn't vote" with 2%; "Refused" with 1%
  3. Paul Renner with 2.2%
  4. 1 2 Charles Burkett with 3%; Ashton Hayward with 1%
  5. "Someone else" with 7%
  6. "Someone else" with 14%
  7. "Someone else" with 6%
  8. "Another candidate" with 20%
  9. Democratic legislators [53] Republican legislators [53]

Partisan clients

  1. Poll sponsored by Florida Politics
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Poll sponsored by the James Madison Institute, a conservative think tank

References

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Official campaign websites