ORLANDO, Fla. — As Florida voters prepare for Tuesday’s primary election, polls show Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is the heavy favorite in the GOP race for governor.
Donalds has crisscrossed the state in the lead-up to the primary, holding rally after rally as he seeks the Republican nomination. Most polls show him with a double-digit lead in the GOP field.
That support could be credited to President Trump’s endorsement, which Donalds has received in the race.
During a speech Thursday in North Florida, Donalds urged Republicans to unite behind him after the primary.
“We are one movement and we have responsibility as Floridians to do what we did for Rick Scott. To do what we did for Ron DeSantis. And that is to tell the Florida Democrats that they are not going to get a foothold of power in the great state of Florida,” Donalds said.
One notable name missing from Donalds’ list of endorsements is Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis has stayed out of the race entirely, despite polling that shows his backing carries weight in Florida.
Aside from Donalds there are 10 other Republican candidates in this gubernatorial race.
Among those candidates are current Florida lieutenant governor Jay Collins, former speaker of the Florida house of representatives Paul Renner, business investor James Fishback, business owner and attorney Rachel Rodriguez and farmer and business owner James Shaw.
David Jolly, one of six Democratic candidates competing for a spot on the November ballot in Florida’s governor’s race, is spending the final days of the campaign in Tampa, an area he represented during his time in Congress.
Jolly is leading Democratic polls in the race. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2014 to 2017 as a Republican before becoming an independent for several years.
Jolly is now running on the Democratic ticket. He has said the switch better aligns with his three main values: an economy that works for everyone, a government that mainly stays out of people’s lives and celebrating everyone’s dignity.
If elected governor, Jolly said his top priorities would be housing, health care and education.
Jolly plans to cast his vote at his polling location in Pinellas County before traveling to Miami Lakes to join his running mate, Gwen Graham.
The other five Democratic candidates include Evelyn Castillo-Bach, a criminal justice advocate from Pembroke Pines, Thomas Eloy Fernandez, a healthcare professional and retired Air Force veteran, Dayna Marie Foster, a teacher from South Florida, Dotie Joseph, State Representative from North Miami who’s been in office since 2018 and Stephann Norman, a community activist from Tampa area.