{"id":116171,"date":"2026-01-13T09:36:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T09:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/116171\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T09:36:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T09:36:14","slug":"florida-lt-gov-jay-collins-enters-governors-race-setting-up-crowded-gop-primary-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/116171\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins enters governor\u2019s race, setting up crowded GOP primary"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Brief<\/p>\n

Lt. Gov. Jay Collins announced Monday he is running for governor, joining a crowded Republican primary field.<\/p>\n

The race already includes Trump-backed Rep. Byron Donalds, who holds a major fundraising edge.<\/p>\n

Gov. Ron DeSantis has not said whether he will endorse a successor as the contest takes shape.<\/p>\n

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida\u2019s 2026 race for governor took a sharper turn Monday as Lt. Gov. Jay Collins formally entered the contest. His decision sets up a crowded and potentially contentious Republican primary just as lawmakers convene for the annual legislative session.<\/p>\n

Collins\u2019 announcement adds another high-profile contender to a field already shaped by national political influence and deep fundraising disparities.<\/p>\n

What we know<\/p>\n

Collins, a 49-year-old former Green Beret and first-term lieutenant governor, announced Monday that he will run for governor this year. He joins a Republican primary field that includes U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples, former state House Speaker Paul Renner and investment firm CEO James Fishback.<\/p>\n

His entry comes one day before Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers his State of the State address to open the legislative session.<\/p>\n

What they’re saying<\/p>\n

The decision was first reported by Fox News and later confirmed by Collins in a post on the social media platform X.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m running for Governor because leadership is forged under pressure, not in soundbites,” Collins wrote. “I served over 23 years in the United States military, mainly as a Green Beret, where accountability is real, decisions have consequences, and service comes before self.”<\/p>\n

Donalds\u2019 campaign responded sharply to Collins\u2019 announcement, emphasizing the congressman\u2019s backing from President Donald Trump. “Anyone running against Byron is an anti-Trump RINO and will be soundly defeated in the Republican primary,” said Ryan Smith, Donalds\u2019 chief campaign strategist.<\/p>\n

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP<\/a><\/p>\n

Gov. DeSantis, who appointed Collins as lieutenant governor last year, said earlier Monday he was unaware of Collins\u2019 plans. “Jay’s a good guy,” DeSantis said. “I don’t know what he’s going to announce or not announce. If I get involved in the primary, you\u2019ll know it.”<\/p>\n

Democrats were quick to criticize the Republican field. Democratic Governors Association spokesman Kevin Donohoe said Collins and his GOP rivals “only offer more of the failed status quo that has left working families behind and turned Florida into one of the least affordable states in the country.”<\/p>\n

What we don’t know<\/p>\n

It remains unclear whether DeSantis will ultimately weigh in on the Republican primary or endorse a successor. The governor, who is barred by term limits from seeking another term, has said any involvement would come later and on his own timeline.<\/p>\n

The political impact of Collins\u2019 candidacy \u2014 particularly whether he can consolidate support among establishment Republicans \u2014 is also uncertain, especially given Donalds\u2019 early polling advantage and strong national backing.<\/p>\n

The backstory<\/p>\n

Before becoming lieutenant governor in August, Collins represented a Hillsborough County district in the Florida Senate, where DeSantis has said he played a key role on conservative priorities such as election law changes and immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

The lieutenant governor\u2019s office had been vacant since February, when Jeanette Nu\u00f1ez left the role to become interim president, and later president, of Florida International University. At the time of Collins\u2019 appointment, DeSantis praised him as a “warrior” for his military service and disaster-response work.<\/p>\n

Big picture view<\/p>\n

The Republican primary is shaping up as a test of competing forces within the party, pitting Trump-aligned candidates against those backed by Tallahassee\u2019s conservative leadership. Fundraising underscores that divide: as of late September, Donalds had roughly $27 million in cash on hand, compared with about $922,000 held by a political committee tied to Collins.<\/p>\n

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On the Democratic side, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and former U.S. Rep. David Jolly are the most prominent candidates so far, though Republicans remain favored in the GOP-dominated state.<\/p>\n

Timeline<\/p>\n

The primary contest unfolds as the legislative session begins this week, with campaigning expected to intensify through the spring and summer. Voters will ultimately decide the nominees ahead of the November election, with Florida\u2019s open governor\u2019s seat drawing national attention.<\/p>\n

The Source<\/p>\n

This story was written based on reporting by the News Service of Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Brief Lt. Gov. Jay Collins announced Monday he is running for governor, joining a crowded Republican primary…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116172,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[445,28,30,2846,29,5187,6322,5746,6688,58654,412],"class_list":["post-116171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-byron-donalds","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-international-university","tag-florida-news","tag-jay-collins","tag-legislative-session","tag-lieutenant-governor","tag-president-donald-trump","tag-republican-primary","tag-ron-desantis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}