By Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix
In Summary:
The race to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis is intensifying as Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings officially opens a campaign account for governor, confirming long-running speculation about his political ambitions. Demings, a Democrat and former law enforcement official, joins a growing list of contenders that includes U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, former House Speaker Paul Renner, and ex-Congressman David Jolly. His entry could reshape the Democratic field and set up a potential historic matchup if both Donalds and Demings — two prominent Black leaders — secure their party nominations. But Demings also enters the race amid friction with state GOP officials and criticism from Republicans who label him “too liberal” for Florida, signaling that the 2026 governor’s race will be one of the most contentious in recent memory.
Florida’s race for governor is getting more crowded — and it looks there could be competitive primaries for both major parties.
Election records show that Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has opened a campaign account for governor, confirming speculation that the former law enforcement official is going to run for the Democratic nomination. Several media outlets have already reported that he plans to make a major “announcement” later this week in Orlando.
Related: Demings officially enters Florida governor’s race.
Demings has not publicly commented on his entrance into the race, but he has been previously quoted about considering a run for higher office. He has also clashed with high-ranking GOP state officials in recent months.
More than two dozen candidates have opened up campaign accounts for governor, but the most prominent candidates are U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and former House Speaker Paul Renner on the Republican side and former U.S. Rep. David Jolly for Democrats. Gov. Ron DeSantis is leaving office in early 2027 due to term limits.
Demings, 66, is married to Val Demings, a Democrat who ran for U.S. Senate in 2022 and spent several terms in the U.S. House.
If both Donalds and Demings secure their party nominations, it could lead to the election of Florida’s first-ever Black governor. Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum narrowly lost to Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2018 election.
Demings creates a scenario where Democrats could have a heated primary in a state that has already swung to the right in recent years.
Jolly is a former Republican who has been sharply critical of President Donald Trump. Since jumping into the race earlier this year, he has focused on mostly pocketbook issues. Some Democrats have questioned whether Jolly is too similar to Charlie Crist, a Republican-turned-Democrat who lost to DeSantis by nearly 20 points three years ago.
Jolly has tried to overcome such criticism by obtaining a long list of endorsements from Democratic officials and campaigning all across the state.
Demings’ entry into the governor’s race brought a quick retort from Republicans who immediately contended that he is too liberal for Floridians and cited his positions on immigration and transgender issues.
“And as a candidate, his entire campaign will be about fighting President Trump and his policies that are making Florida safer and stronger,” said Ryan Smith, a chief strategist for the Donalds campaign. “Jerry Demings is weak. He’s woke. And he’s wrong for Florida.”
Back in August, Demings signed an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Enforcement that he said was done under “protest and extreme duress.”
Demings made the move after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier threatened the mayor and all six county commissioners that if they did not comply, DeSantis would remove them from office.
“Yes, we signed the damn thing because we really had to. We were put in a tough spot,” Demings said at the time. “I can’t let our entire board of county commissioners and myself be removed from office.”
After Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia asserted that Orange County was spending too much money, Demings asserted that Ingoglia was relying on “fuzzy math.”
