TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Voters will help decide who will lead Florida for the next four years in next Tuesday’s primary election.
Polls and professors say Congressman Byron Donalds is almost certainly going to win the Republican nomination, and former Congressman David Jolly has little opposition on the Democratic side.
But ultimately, it’s up to the voters to decide.
The intrigue is mostly on the Republican side. Donalds is, by all objective metrics, the frontrunner.
“Man, five days,” Donalds said at a rally in Crawfordville Thursday. “Campaigns are never just a straight road. They take all their turns. I’m just very fortunate. I’m very fortunate to have the full, total endorsement of President Trump.”
Former State House Speaker Paul Renner received a boost recently when Governor Ron DeSantis spoke highly of him at a press conference. However, DeSantis has not officially endorsed a candidate.
“And there’s simply a huge gap between that experience as results, the vision and the leadership, and nobody comes anywhere close to this governor, next to me, to replace him,” Renner said.
Florida politics
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins was actually appointed by DeSantis, and says he’s running a nuanced campaign, especially around data centers.
“It’s guardrails, it’s leadership. It’s regulating this not to kill it, but to protect our people. That means no cost to the people in terms of power or water,” Collins said.
James Fishback is the outside voice in the race. He recently won a court fight to stay on the ballot and then accused Donalds of being under federal investigation, which the Department of Justice denied.
“I held and event yesterday night. There were 62 people at his event. There were 274 people at my event. The polls do not represent the real reality on the ground,” Fishback said.
Intrigue for the Democrats is low, as David Jolly and his running mate Gwen Graham are the only candidates with name recognition left in the race, Florida political professors say.
Donalds has not yet announced his running mate.
One Republican and one Democrat will advance to the general election in November.
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Florida voters to decide governor’s race nominees in Tuesday primary – WCTV
