2026 Florida gubernatorial election

Last updated

2026 Florida gubernatorial election
Flag of Florida.svg
  2022 November 3, 20262030 
 
Party Republican Democratic

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 election to a third consecutive term in office.

Contents

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

Publicly expressed interest

Potential

Declined

Endorsements

Ashley Moody [a]

Individuals

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
Florida Atlantic University/
Mainstreet Research
[11]
June 8–9, 2024366 (RV)± 3.3%43%19%13%14%5%7% [c]
Victory Insights [12] April 3–6, 20241,200 (LV)± 2.9%21%13%3%2%5%14% [d] 43%
University of North Florida [13] October 23 – November 4, 2023788 (LV)± 3.77%22%9%9%6%2%3%1%1%1%6% [e] 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 [14] April 15–17, 2024372 (RV)± 3.3%38%16%20%26%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Publicly expressed interest

Potential

Declined

Independents

Filed paperwork

Publicly expressed interest

General election

Polling

Hypothetical polling

Generic Republican vs. generic Democrat

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size [b]
Margin
of error
Generic
Republican
Generic
Democrat
Undecided
Cygnal (R) [22] October 26–28, 2024600 (LV)± 3.98%48%41%11%

See also

Notes

  1. Has not declared her candidacy
  2. 1 2 3 Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  3. "Someone else" with 7%
  4. "Someone else" with 14%
  5. "Someone else" with 6%

Partisan clients

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanette Nuñez</span> Lieutenant Governor of Florida since 2019

    Jeanette Marie Nuñez is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the 20th lieutenant governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she represented Miami-Dade County in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018, also serving as speaker pro tempore for her final two years in the office. Nuñez is the first Latina to serve as Florida lieutenant governor.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Florida gubernatorial election</span>

    The 2018 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Florida, alongside an election to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and other state and local elections. Incumbent two-term Republican Governor Rick Scott was term-limited and could not run for a third term, and he successfully ran for Florida's Class I Senate seat.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Florida Attorney General election</span>

    The 2018 Florida Attorney General election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Attorney General of Florida. Incumbent Republican attorney general Pam Bondi was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida</span>

    The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, to elect the 27 U.S. representatives from the state of Florida, one from each of the state's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other offices, including a gubernatorial election, other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections. The party primaries were held on August 28, 2018.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Moody</span> American politician (born 1975)

    Ashley Brooke Moody is an American attorney and politician who has served since 2019 as the 38th attorney general of Florida. Moody previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney and a circuit court judge in Hillsborough County.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 United States Senate election in Florida</span>

    The 2024 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Florida. Incumbent Republican Senator Rick Scott won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic nominee Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. The primary election was held on August 20, 2024.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Florida gubernatorial election</span>

    The 2022 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Florida, alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican governor Ron DeSantis won re-election in a landslide, and defeated the Democratic Party nominee, Charlie Crist, who served as governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 as a Republican and later as an independent. No Democrat has been elected governor of Florida since 1994.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Miami-Dade County mayoral election</span>

    The 2020 Miami-Dade County mayoral election was held on November 3, 2020, to determine the mayor of Miami-Dade County, Florida. County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava defeated fellow commissioner Esteban Bovo. Incumbent Mayor Carlos A. Giménez, first elected in 2011, was term-limited; instead running for the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Florida's 26th congressional district.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida</span>

    The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the 28 U.S. representatives from Florida, one from each of the state's 28 congressional districts. The primary was held on August 23, 2022. The elections coincided with the 2022 United States Senate election in Florida, other elections to the House of Representatives, other elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Florida Commissioner of Agriculture election</span>

    The 2022 Florida Commissioner of Agriculture election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture. Incumbent Democratic Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried was eligible to run for a second term, but she instead ran for governor of Florida in 2022. Republican Wilton Simpson won the election with over 59% of the vote. Simpson's victory gave Republicans complete control of state government for the first time since Reconstruction.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Florida Attorney General election</span>

    The 2022 Florida attorney general election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the Florida attorney general. Incumbent Republican attorney general Ashley Moody was reelected for a second term, defeating Democratic challenger Aramis Ayala by a 21-point margin in a landslide victory. Moody received the most raw votes and the highest percentage of the vote of any state-wide candidate in the 2022 Florida elections.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2026 United States Senate elections</span>

    The 2026 United States Senate elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections, the winners of which will serve six-year terms in the United States Congress from January 3, 2027, to January 3, 2033. Senators are divided into three groups, or classes, whose terms are staggered so that a different class is elected every two years. Class 2 senators were last elected in 2020 and will be up for election in this cycle.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 United States presidential election in Florida</span>

    The 2024 United States presidential election in Florida was held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, as part of the 2024 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Florida voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote. The state of Florida has 30 electoral votes in the Electoral College, following reapportionment due to the 2020 United States census in which the state gained a seat. This gave Florida the third-most electoral votes in the country, which marked the first time it carried more weight than New York in a presidential election.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2026 United States gubernatorial elections</span>

    United States gubernatorial elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, in 36 states and three territories. The previous gubernatorial elections for this group of states took place in 2022, except in New Hampshire and Vermont, where governors serve two-year terms and elected their governors in 2024. Many of the states with elections in this cycle have incumbents who are officially term-limited.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2026 Oklahoma gubernatorial election</span>

    The 2026 Oklahoma gubernatorial election will take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Oklahoma. Incumbent Republican Governor Kevin Stitt is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term in office.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2026 United States attorney general elections</span>

    The 2026 United States attorney general elections will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the attorneys general of thirty U.S. states, two territories, and one federal district. The previous elections for this group of states took place in 2022, while Vermont's attorney general was elected in 2024.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2026 United States House of Representatives elections</span> House elections for the 120th U.S. Congress

    The 2026 United States House of Representatives elections are scheduled to be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, as part of the 2026 midterm elections during President Donald Trump's second non-consecutive term. Voters will elect representatives from all 435 congressional districts across each of the 50 U.S. states, as well as five of the six non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and the inhabited U.S. territories. Special elections may also be held on various dates throughout 2026. Numerous other federal, state, and local elections, including elections to the Senate, will also be held on this date. The winners of this election will serve in the 120th United States Congress, with seats apportioned among the states based on the 2020 United States census.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2026 United States Senate special election in Florida</span>

    The 2026 United States Senate special election in Florida is expected to be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Florida, to fill in the last two years of Republican senator Marco Rubio’s term, who will resign if confirmed as the United States secretary of state under President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2025 Florida's 1st congressional district special election</span> Election following the resignation of Matt Gaetz

    The 2025 Florida's 1st congressional district special election will be held on April 1, 2025 to fill a vacant seat in Florida's 1st congressional district previously occupied by Matt Gaetz, who resigned on November 13, 2024, after president-elect Donald Trump nominated him for attorney general of the United States. Gaetz later withdrew his nomination for attorney general on November 21. The following day, Gaetz announced he would not return to Congress. Primary elections will take place on January 28, 2025. It is considered a safely Republican district.

    There are expected to be at least three special elections to the United States House of Representatives in 2025 during the 119th United States Congress. Additional special elections may take place if any other vacancies occur.

    References

    1. "Article IV, Florida Constitution". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
    2. Dixon, Matt (January 15, 2025). "Rep. Byron Donalds makes his move ahead of expected 2026 Florida gubernatorial bid". NBC News . Retrieved January 17, 2025.
    3. Calder, Rich (November 23, 2024). "Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz teases run for Florida governor". New York Post . Retrieved November 24, 2024.
    4. 1 2 3 Wilson, Kirby (January 7, 2025). "Matt Gaetz: 'I am starting to think about running for governor'". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved January 8, 2025.
    5. Little, Jim (November 14, 2024). "Campaign to replace Matt Gaetz in Congress starting to take shape". Pensacola News Journal . Retrieved November 18, 2024.
    6. Scheckner, Jesse (July 22, 2024). "'That would be interesting': Francis Suarez again floats Governor's run". Florida Politics . Retrieved December 21, 2024.
    7. 1 2 3 Neely, Samantha (November 25, 2024). "Can DeSantis run in 2026? Matt Gaetz and others who may get in race for Florida governor". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved November 28, 2024.
    8. 1 2 Gancarski, A.G. (July 7, 2024). "Flagship conservative mag floats 'clearing a lane' for Casey DeSantis' Governor run". Florida Politics . Retrieved August 27, 2024.
    9. Wilson, Kirby (May 13, 2024). "Casey DeSantis has 'zero' interest in running for governor, Ron DeSantis says". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved November 28, 2024.
    10. Gancarski, A.G. (May 8, 2024). "After Gainesville pizza problem, Ric Flair endorses Ashley Moody for Governor". Florida Politics.
    11. Florida Atlantic University/
      Mainstreet Research
    12. Victory Insights
    13. University of North Florida
    14. Florida Atlantic University/Mainstreet Research
    15. 1 2 3 4 Wilson, Kirby (January 10, 2025). "Who's running for Florida governor? How the 2026 field is shaping up". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved January 10, 2025.
    16. Man, Anthony (September 21, 2024). "Dissatisfied with his party's potential candidates, Democratic state senator may run for Florida governor". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
    17. Hanks, Douglas (August 21, 2024). "Miami-Dade's Democratic mayor won big this week. Is a run for Florida governor next?" . Miami Herald. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
    18. Solender, Andrew (November 27, 2024). "Scoop: A huge wave of House members is eyeing runs for other offices in 2026". Axios. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
    19. Adragna, Anthony (December 17, 2024). "Moskowitz brushes aside FEMA reports". Politico . Retrieved December 17, 2024. 'I am staying in Congress and running for re-election,' Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said
    20. Of Elections, Florida Division (June 26, 2024). "Candidate Tracking System". Florida Division of Elections. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
    21. Leonard, Kimberly (December 12, 2024). "John Morgan on how he'd run for gov". Politico . Retrieved December 13, 2024.
    22. Cygnal (R)