# Florida Governor race 2026

Open seat. Rep. Byron Donalds (R) faces former Rep. David Jolly (D) to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

- Office: Governor
- Rating: Lean Republican (Cook Political Report, Oct 13, 2026)
- Sabato's Crystal Ball: Leans Republican
- Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/election/fl-governor/
- Back to [Election Headquarters](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/election/)

## Who is running

- Byron Donalds (Republican): open seat
- David Jolly (Democrat): open seat

## The facts

- DeSantis won in 2022 with 59.4% and is term-limited. (Wikipedia)
- Jolly is a former Republican congressman who joined the Democratic Party in 2025. (Wikipedia)
- Cook moved Florida from Likely Republican to Leans Republican on Oct. 1. (Cook Political Report, via 270toWin)

## Why this race matters to conservatives (opinion)

Florida has a Republican governor now. Keeping the office keeps the DeSantis years in place.

This section is the opinion of RightNewsRightNow. The rest of the page is reporting.

## Where these facts come from

- [Cook Political Report](https://www.270towin.com/2026-governor-election/cook-political-report-2026-governor): current rating, as of Oct 13, 2026
- [Wikipedia (election pages, with their cited sources)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_gubernatorial_elections): candidate and race facts