The 2026 Florida gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, but before that showdown, primary elections will take place on August 18, 2026. It is the first step to replace incumbent governor Ron DeSantis, who is ineligible to seek re-election to a third consecutive term.
Here is a closer look at the leading Republican and Democratic candidates for governor of Florida.
Although 29 candidates have qualified for the campaign to replace DeSantis, one of these six will likely win the seat.
In total, the qualified candidates for governor are 11 Republicans, six Democrats, six with no party affiliation, five write-ins and one Libertarian Party member. Florida has elected only Republican governors since 1998, the end of Democrat Lawton Chiles’ second term.
Florida has a closed primary system, meaning only registered Republicans or Democrats may vote for their party’s candidates. Voters with no party affiliation, also known as independents, cannot vote in the primary.
The candidates:
The other Republican candidates are Jim Holcomb, Arthur McCaffrey, Daniel Nokovich, Rachel Rodriguez, James W. Shaw, Caneste Succe and Bobby Williams.
The other Democrats running for governor are Evelyn Castillo-Bach, Thomas Fernandez, Dayna Foster and Stephann Norman.
Curt Anderson is the Policy and Politics Reporter for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY athttps://tallahassee.com/newsletters.
Election 2026: A closer look at Florida's gubernatorial candidates – Tallahassee Democrat
