Jay Collins, Florida lieutenant governor, runs for governor against Trump's candidate

Jay Collins, currently lieutenant governor of Florida, announced his candidacy for governor of the state. The 49-year-old Republican and former military officer is seeking to succeed popular Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will leave office in January 2027. Collins joined a Republican primary that has Congressman Byron Donalds, who has already won the endorsement of Donald Trump.

Collins had been speculating for months about a run, which she made official Monday at a news conference. In addition to Donalds, he will face Paul Renner, former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and James Fishback, a businessman who was endorsed by Tucker Carlson.

"I’m running for Governor because leadership is forged under pressure, not in soundbites. 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," Collins said on his social media following the press conference.

"That experience shaped how I lead and why I believe public office is a public trust," he added. In a separate statement, he also noted that he is running to "keep Florida strong and to build on the legacy of leadership that has made our state the model for the nation."

Despite his background in medicine, Collins served in the Army Special Forces for more than 20 years, one of the most elite and demanding units in the military. He participated in multiple overseas deployments, including Iraq and Afghanistan as part of post-9/11 operations.

After 23 years of service, Collins accepted a position with a nonprofit organization, overseeing the distribution of millions of meals to veterans, first responders and people in need.

In 2022 he entered Florida politics when he was elected as a state senator. In office he cemented himself as a close ally of Gov. DeSantis, who, following the resignation of Jeanette Nuñez in 2025, offered Collins the lieutenant governor's post.

DeSantis has yet to make any official endorsements ahead of the November elections. The incumbent governor won his first election in 2018 by just 32,463 votes out of more than 8 million cast. However, in 2022 he won re-election by nearly twenty percentage points, the widest margin of victory in Florida since 1982.

On the Democratic side, the leading candidates are Jerry Demings and David Jolly. Demings is the mayor of Orange County and the husband of former Rep. Val Demings. For his part, Jolly spent three years in the House of Representatives as a Republican. He later affiliated as an independent.