{"id":297779,"date":"2026-06-05T22:36:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T22:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/297779\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T22:36:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T22:36:18","slug":"what-does-jerry-demings-dropping-out-mean-for-florida-governors-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/297779\/","title":{"rendered":"What does Jerry Demings dropping out mean for Florida governor\u2019s race?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well-wishes poured in across party lines after Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced on Friday he would suspend his campaign for Florida governor<\/a> following a prostate cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Demings was one of two major Democratic contenders for governor. His announcement clears the way for former GOP Rep. David Jolly, who already held a massive fundraising lead<\/a>, to clinch the Democratic nomination in August. Short of a game-changing surprise, Jolly will likely face the Republican nominee in a race marked by affordability, mid-decade redistricting<\/a> and voter reactions to President Donald Trump\u2019s second term.<\/p>\n

Jolly, who had avoided criticizing Demings on the campaign trail, offered his condolences Friday. Some Republican contenders for governor also weighed in, including the front-runner, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cErika and I are praying for Jerry and Val,\u201c Donalds wrote on X<\/a>, referencing Demings\u2019 wife, a former Orlando police chief and congresswoman. \u201dMay the Lord watch over the Demings family, provide them with strength and comfort, and bless Jerry with a swift recovery.”<\/p>\n

Investor James Fishback, another GOP contenderrepresenting the right-wing fringe<\/a>, offered his condolences as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI last saw Jerry backstage at an event in Orlando in January, and while we may not see eye to eye on everything, he is a good man who has served his community since 1981,\u201d Fishback wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More tributes came pouring out from both sides of the aisle, including from Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried<\/a>, Republican Party of Florida chair Evan Power, Democratic U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Maxwell Frost, and state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat.<\/p>\n

Demings announced his campaign for governor in November<\/a>, emphasizing his long history of service in the Orlando area, including a nearly decade-long stint as Orange County sheriff. Meandering and congenial, Demings said he wanted to restore the balance of power between the state and local governments in Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a track record of winning against the odds,\u201d he told the Tampa Bay Times in a March interview, adding that he\u2019d never lost a race.<\/p>\n

Demings also calls himself a \u201clifelong Democrat,\u201d something Jolly cannot claim.<\/p>\n

But in fundraising, Demings trailed behind Jolly, who announced his campaign<\/a> a year ago. Jolly has spent the past year touting affordability solutions<\/a> and making the case that he is the Democrat who can lead the party to statewide victory in November.<\/p>\n

Demings reported raising more than $650,000 by the end of March. Jolly had raised almost $5 million by that point, buoyed by Democrats\u2019 special election victories<\/a> in red-leaning state legislative districts. The two victors in those races ended up endorsing Jolly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Along the campaign trail, Jolly frequently emphasized his respect for Demings and said he wanted to avoid the mudslinging taking place in the Republican primary<\/a> for governor. Democrats face an uphill battle in the race, in which Donalds has raised $68 million and counting with the backing of the state\u2019s conservative establishment.<\/p>\n

Jolly reiterated his respect after Demings\u2019 diagnosis was announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cJerry has dedicated his life to public service, fighting with passion, mettle, and faith. I know he\u2019ll bring that same spirit to this new chapter,\u201d Jolly said in a statement. \u201cLaura and I wish him a full recovery as we personally pray for Jerry and his family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Times Election Coverage<\/p>\n

Congressional midterms: Can Democrats retake the US House? It could depend on Florida<\/a><\/p>\n

Voter issues: These 4 issues make Florida\u2019s midterms a tougher slog for Republicans<\/a><\/p>\n

Race for the Governor\u2019s Mansion: Is the Florida governor\u2019s race set?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Well-wishes poured in across party lines after Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced on Friday he would suspend…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297780,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[445,1813,6699,125357,28,9085,3291,30,29,8134,27756,125356,25626],"class_list":["post-297779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-byron-donalds","tag-david-jolly","tag-debbie-wasserman-schultz","tag-democratic-contenders","tag-florida","tag-florida-democratic-party","tag-florida-governor","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-jerry-demings","tag-orange-county-convention-center","tag-prostate-cancer-diagnosis","tag-val-demings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297779","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=297779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}