TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – As Florida’s elections take shape, a dropout from the state’s gubernatorial race could shake up the field.
Jerry Demings announced last week that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, prompting him to withdraw from the race.
He said to get proper treatment, he had to leave the campaign trial.
“I am going to suspend my campaign for governor. I’m going to focus on my health. That will become the priority,” Demings said.
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Dr. Lonna Atkeson, Director of the LeRoy Collins Institute, said Demings had name recognition and experience, and this could open up the field.
“They were, of course, going to the people and the names that they recognized and knew in this process. And I do think that that sets up David Jolly for getting a lot of that support, but there are other people in the pool who could arise in the next two months before that decision is made,” Atkinson said.
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