![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/af19f7fce8b0dc1da1085892b4238384.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nLess than 12 months until the election, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who has the backing of President Donald Trump, is comfortably ahead in polls for the GOP nomination to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.<\/p>\n
But there are signs the sleepy race is sparking to life: Donalds\u2019 rivals are lining up to attack the Naples Republican and chip away at his lead in the polls.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paul Renner, a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and candidate for Florida Governor speaks at a campaign event at Seed to Table in Naples on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. He was joined by the Stand for Health Freedom group during the event.<\/p>\n
Former House Speaker Paul Renner released an extensive economic platform on Nov. 14 focused on affordability \u2013 a topic top of mind for voters in the recent off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia.<\/p>\n
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is a former Green Beret in the U.S. Army who was elected to the Florida Senate in 2022. DeSantis selected him to fill the vacant lieutenant governor position in August, fueling speculation he’d later run to replace the term-limited DeSantis next year.<\/p>\n
![\"Lt.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/53676ee1112767ef09dd55042ab282a8.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins acknowledges the House of Representatives during the Speaker Designate Ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.<\/p>\n
Collins hasn’t officially declared his candidacy but continues to tease his own run, and has recently started unsubtly slamming Donalds online.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s face it. Most members of Congress won\u2019t pass a single meaningful bill for their district,\u201d Collins posted on X on Nov. 13. \u201cSo they turn to Fox News or CNN to build name ID \u2026 and then run for Governor.\u201d<\/p>\n
A nonprofit organization, Florida Fighters, also started running ads <\/a>featuring Collins.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also the prospect of a wildcard in the race. James Fishback, the 30-year-old CEO of the investment firm Azoria, has said he\u2019ll officially announce his campaign soon. He has repeatedly attacked Donalds, particularly on immigration policies related to the federal H1B visa program, calling him \u201cDEI Donalds\u201d and \u201cH1Byron.\u201d<\/p>\n Byron Donalds can boast he’s tops in the polls<\/p>\n In the face of these challengers, Donalds\u2019 campaign has highlighted his polling advantage.<\/p>\n A Victory Insights poll<\/a> conducted Nov. 11\u201313 of 600 likely Republican voters found he has 45% support, while Renner has 2.7%, Collins 1.2% and Fishback 1.1%. Nearly half of respondents (49.9%), however, said they were undecided, leaving a pathway for the trailing pack to win over the electorate.<\/p>\n Donalds has continued to campaign, attending Turning Point USA events at University of Florida in the last week. And he\u2019s started to talk more about the cost of living, telling Newsmax on Nov. 13 that Florida will have to develop its own health care plan if Congress can\u2019t fix or replace the Affordable Care Act. Subsidies for coverage plans on ACA exchanges are set to expire at the end of the year, boosting monthly costs.<\/p>\n \u201cHealth care costs are out of control. If the feds aren\u2019t going to be responsive then Florida is going to have to lead the way,\u201d Donalds said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Affordability has become a catchphrase for campaigns as costs have continued to rise, including for housing and beef and grocery staples.<\/p>\n Renner\u2019s plan would tackle housing costs by slashing property taxes and passing more litigation reforms to drive down property insurance rates. He also wants to keep tuition rates level for higher education and expand vocational programs to generate more high-paying jobs.<\/p>\n The plan would also eliminate H1B visas for workers at state agencies. DeSantis recently said he\u2019s eliminating H1B visas for employees at state universities.<\/p>\n David Jolly announces in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat that he is running as a democratic candidate for the Governor of Florida on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.<\/p>\n The H1B visa program, started in 1990 by Congress, has been criticized by hardline anti-immigration hawks as being abused by large corporations to bring in foreign workers at the expense of Americans.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can provide residents with lower costs and a business climate that creates jobs with better incomes,\u201d\u00a0Renner said in a statement.<\/p>\n “This plan begins with an immediate and overdue property tax rollback, through legislative action,” he added. “This will ease the financial burden of hardworking taxpayers across the state while we await long-term reforms that require constitutional amendment a year from now.\u201d<\/p>\n Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings speaking in Ocala on Nov. 15, 2025 where he told the audience he was running for governor.<\/p>\n On the Democratic side, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings got in the race earlier this month, challenging former U.S. Rep. David Jolly who announced his campaign in the summer.<\/p>\n Gray Rohrer\u00a0is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at\u00a0grohrer@gannett.com<\/a>. Follow him on X:\u00a0@GrayRohrer<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/61849d7fa8a92d723ba5119c2b6abd37.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Orange](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/f9b34f41eb62ade01a70b368d49f66c4.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n