An influential outgoing governor is quietly contesting his party’s heir apparent, sparking public clashes and legal fights. The fallout could reshape Florida politics into 2028.
On paper, the Republican primaries for Florida governor look almost like a formality. The front-runner is Congressman Byron Donalds, whom Donald Trump supports, the majority of the state establishment, a significant financial advantage, and minimal opposition on the air. However the race has turned into a fierce contest for succession, largely shaped by one influential factor: Governor Ron DeSantis.
While DeSantis remains incredibly popular among Florida Republicans, term limits prevent him from seeking another term, so he refuses to pass the baton to Donalds and expresses doubts about the latter’s fitness both publicly and privately. According to a source close to DeSantis, he even discussed his concerns with Donald Trump.
He did not back alternative candidates, undermining the efforts of others who sought to defeat Donalds: he refused to elevate Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, though he had been appointed only a year ago, and rejected the candidacy of former Speaker Paul Renner, who had previously helped push the governor’s agenda.
This vacuum in support turned what could have been a simple succession into one of the season’s fiercest battles – with public clashes between DeSantis’s team and his lieutenant governor, a lawsuit to disqualify the candidate, and fears of retaliation against those who supported Donald’s candidacy.
James Fishback emerged as well, a 31-year-old candidate with sharp rhetoric who drew national attention despite a complicated legal background and limited finances. He called Donalds, who is Black, “a slave to his donors” and a “DEI Republican” who “would turn Florida into a ghetto under the Section 8 program,” and this drew support from influential conservative commentators such as Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes.
DeSantis’s role in this conflict frustrated party allies and diminished his influence as he contemplates his political future. Although he does not hide presidential ambitions, many in his circle fear that he will undermine the trust built over two terms in office and may lose support ahead of preparations for 2028.
“Everyone tried to persuade him, including the president,” said a source close to DeSantis. “Ron is leaving office with few friends. And there will be a big effort to strip him of shine, and he will have no platform to defend himself.”
– A source close to DeSantis
Prospects, ambitions, and impact on Florida’s future
«The reality is: we’ve achieved victories in Florida. We need to start achieving these victories there as well (in Washington),» DeSantis said in February 2025. He also noted that Byron Donalds was not part of the wins he deemed necessary, and that candidates from other states should not compete for leadership in Florida if they cannot deliver concrete results.
The backing of Renner and Collins by DeSantis underscores the rift within the entire leadership circle: they sought to increase the campaign’s influence, but the incumbent leader did not show willingness to back their path. Also noted were Donalds’s past missteps, but he later acknowledged selling drugs at age 21 and said he had “given his life to Christ.”
The lesson from this campaign is that even an unbeatable status can be at risk due to intra-party disagreements and succession competition. DeSantis’s role in this conflict drew attention from political allies and forced him to rethink his strategy for the future, and it cast doubt on how his stance would affect support for his own ambitions through 2028.
Despite all the obstacles, the Florida conflict continues, and its implications for the state’s political scene are a significant question for Republicans and for the future political course of DeSantis himself. At the same time, national attention to this intraparty confrontation could set the pace for the discussion of succession and leadership in another part of the country.