A couple of high-profile Republican candidates have already filed to run for governor as well, setting up what is likely to be a competitive election to succeed the right wing\u2019s anti-woke champion<\/a> DeSantis.\u00a0<\/p>\n Former Florida House speaker Paul Renner \u2014 who\u2019s shown he\u2019s willing to do the business lobby\u2019s bidding<\/a> even if working people suffer \u2014 filed to run for governor in September, while U.S. Rep Byron Donalds (a \u201cstrong proponent of directing public dollars toward private schools<\/a>,\u201d per the Miami Herald) filed to run in February and has already received a highly sought-after endorsement from President Donald Trump. Although, what that endorsement will really mean moving forward with Trump\u2019s record-low approval rating<\/a> at the time of publication is unclear.<\/p>\n First Lady Casey DeSantis, Ron\u2019s Republican wife caught up in a scandal involving alleged theft of government funds<\/a> earlier this year, is also reportedly mulling over a run for governor, while Lt. Gov. Jay Collins \u2014 a former state senator \u2014 has also teased a run but hasn\u2019t yet filed paperwork.<\/p>\n Demings is the mayor of one of the last Democratic-leaning counties in Florida, and one of the largest. Orange County, located in Central Florida, is also one of the Sunshine State\u2019s tourism capitals, home to Disney World, Universal Orlando Studios, SeaWorld and other major tourist attractions that collectively draw in more than 75 million visitors annually<\/a>.<\/p>\n Recent polling published last week found that Republican Byron Donalds and Casey DeSantis currently share nearly identical leads<\/a> in voter sentiment on the candidates running for governor. A survey from the University of North Florida\u2019s Public Opinion Lab found Democrat Jolly trailing Donalds by 11 percentage points, 45 percent to 34 percent, while Jolly trails DeSantis by 13 points. Survey respondents were also asked about Demings, then just a rumored candidate. Results show he also trailed Donalds and DeSantis by similar margins.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still a year away from the midterm election, and there are quite a few undecided voters,\u201d said Dr. Michael Binder, a political science professor and faculty director for the Public Opinion Lab. \u201cAt this point, it looks like both Republicans are more than 10 points ahead of whoever emerges on the Democratic side.\u201d<\/p>\n Demings hasn\u2019t been afraid to challenge Florida\u2019s current governor, and his allies, as it is. After facing scrutiny from Florida\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency (\u201cDOGE\u201d) task force, Demings defended the county\u2019s spending habits<\/a>, arguing that while the county\u2019s budget has increased in recent years, so has the county\u2019s population and \u201cthe myriad challenges that we face\u201d \u2014 with rising homelessness being one of them.<\/p>\n Demings also called on DeSantis last week to dip into the state\u2019s emergency funding to fund federal food assistance, known as SNAP, for Florida\u2019s nearly 3 million recipients. As a result of the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1, the Trump administration has declined to utilize its contingency funding to fund SNAP, a program that serves more than 41 million low-income Americans, including many seniors, children and people with disabilities.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Orange County, more than 175,000 residents depend on SNAP benefits and will lose access to funds needed to purchase groceries for their families starting November 1st if immediate action is not taken,\u201d Demings wrote in an Oct. 29 letter addressed to Gov. DeSantis. The federal and state governments, he added, \u201chave a responsibility to ensure residents have access to nutritious food,\u201d noting that the Orange County government alone has dedicated $5.3 million in funding to the region\u2019s largest hunger relief organization this year, Second Harvest Food Bank.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a fundamental right, and we must not allow our most vulnerable populations to be deprived,\u201d Demings wrote.<\/p>\n DeSantis has rejected Democrats\u2019 pleas for him to declare a state of emergency over the SNAP freeze (despite several other governors deciding to do so<\/a>). Facing growing pressure, DeSantis finally conceded<\/a> Monday that the state\u2019s agriculture department would \u201cbe doing more\u201d to help SNAP recipients, the Tampa Bay Times reported, without offering any specifics on how they will do so or what that will look like.<\/p>\n Although a federal judge last week ordered the Trump administration to use contingency funds to cover SNAP benefits for November \u2014 even with the ongoing government shutdown \u2014 it\u2019s unclear when that will trickle down to Floridians through the state\u2019s administrator. Plus, as NBC News reports<\/a>, the contingency funds agreed to by the administration on Monday are only likely to cover \u201c50% of eligible households\u2019 current allotments.\u201d<\/p>\n Demings was elected as Orange County\u2019s first Black mayor in 2018, and won reelection in 2022 with about 60 percent of the vote in a four-way race. Florida\u2019s gubernatorial race (still likely to see the entrance of additional candidates) is set for November 2026. The Democratic primary will take place next August.<\/p>\n Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tThe survey includes First Lady Casey DeSantis, who polls slightly better vs. Democrats than Byron Donalds\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/542757114_790118886900275_8646215978229069226_n.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Byron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/screenshot_2025-02-26_at_3.12.33___pm.webp\")
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