For related races, see 2026 United States gubernatorial elections.
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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.
Eligibility and requirements
Article IV, Section 5(b), of the Florida Constitution states that, for a person to serve as governor, they must:
- Be at least thirty years old;
- Be a permanent resident of Florida for at least seven years;
- Not have served as governor for six years or more of the two prior terms.
Republican primary
Candidates
Publicly expressed interest
- Byron Donalds, U.S. representative for Florida's 19th congressional district (2021–present)
- Matt Gaetz, former U.S. representative for Florida's 1st congressional district (2017–2024)
- Ashton Hayward, former Mayor of Pensacola (2011–2018)
- Francis Suarez, mayor of Miami (2017–present)
Potential
- Ashley Moody, Attorney General of Florida (2019–present)
- Jeanette Nuñez, Lieutenant Governor of Florida (2019–present)
- Wilton Simpson, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture (2023–present)
Declined
- Casey DeSantis, former WJXT newscaster and First Lady of Florida (2019–present)
Endorsements
Ashley MoodyIndividuals
- Ric Flair, former professional wrestler
Polling
Hypothetical polling| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Casey DeSantis |
Byron Donalds |
Matt Gaetz |
Ashley Moody |
Jeanette Nuñez |
Jimmy Patronis |
Wilton Simpson |
Francis Suarez |
Michael Waltz |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Atlantic University/ Mainstreet Research |
June 8–9, 2024 | 366 (RV) | ± 3.3% | 43% | 19% | 13% | 14% | – | 5% | – | – | – | 7% | – |
| Victory Insights | April 3–6, 2024 | 1,200 (LV) | ± 2.9% | – | 21% | 13% | – | – | 3% | 2% | – | 5% | 14% | 43% |
| University of North Florida | October 23 – November 4, 2023 | 788 (LV) | ± 3.77% | 22% | 9% | 9% | 6% | 2% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 6% | 40% |
Casey DeSantis vs. Matt Gaetz
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Casey DeSantis |
Matt Gaetz |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Atlantic University/Mainstreet Research | April 15–17, 2024 | 372 (RV) | ± 3.3% | 38% | 16% | 20% | 26% |
Democratic primary
Candidates
Publicly expressed interest
- Fentrice Driskell, minority leader of the Florida House of Representatives (2022–present) from the 67th district (2018–present)
- Shevrin Jones, state senator from the 35th district (2020–present) and chair of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party (2024–present)
- Jason Pizzo, state senator from the 37th district (2018–present)
Potential
- Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party (2023–present), former Florida Commissioner of Agriculture (2019–2023), and candidate for governor in 2022
- Daniella Levine Cava, mayor of Miami-Dade County (2020–present)
Declined
- Jared Moskowitz, U.S. representative from Florida's 23rd congressional district (2023–present) (running for re-election)
Independents
Filed paperwork
- Moliere Dimanche, writer
Publicly expressed interest
- John Morgan, lawyer and founder of Morgan & Morgan
General election
Polling
Hypothetical pollingGeneric Republican vs. generic Democrat
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Generic Republican |
Generic Democrat |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cygnal (R) | October 26–28, 2024 | 600 (LV) | ± 3.98% | 48% | 41% | 11% |
See also
Notes
- Has not declared her candidacy
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - "Someone else" with 7%
- "Someone else" with 14%
- "Someone else" with 6%
Partisan clients
References
- "Article IV, Florida Constitution". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- Adragna, Anthony (November 27, 2024). "Johnson's next margin headache: Manchin-style Republicans". Politico. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- Calder, Rich (November 23, 2024). "Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz teases run for Florida governor". New York Post. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Kirby (January 7, 2025). "Matt Gaetz: 'I am starting to think about running for governor'". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- Little, Jim (November 14, 2024). "Campaign to replace Matt Gaetz in Congress starting to take shape". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- Scheckner, Jesse (July 22, 2024). "'That would be interesting': Francis Suarez again floats Governor's run". Florida Politics. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
- ^ Gancarski, A.G. (July 7, 2024). "Flagship conservative mag floats 'clearing a lane' for Casey DeSantis' Governor run". Florida Politics. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- Wilson, Kirby (May 13, 2024). "Casey DeSantis has 'zero' interest in running for governor, Ron DeSantis says". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- Gancarski, A.G. (May 8, 2024). "After Gainesville pizza problem, Ric Flair endorses Ashley Moody for Governor". Florida Politics.
- Florida Atlantic University/
Mainstreet Research - Victory Insights
- University of North Florida
- Florida Atlantic University/Mainstreet Research
- ^ 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Of Elections, Florida Division (June 26, 2024). "Candidate Tracking System". Florida Division of Elections. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- Leonard, Kimberly (December 12, 2024). "John Morgan on how he'd run for gov". Politico. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- Cygnal (R)
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