'Bring It': Florida Democrat Pizzo Shrugs Off Potential GOP Rival in Governor's Race

Florida Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo, seen as a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2026, is unfazed by who Republicans may select as their nominee after Gov. Ron DeSantis' term ends.

When asked whether former Rep. Matt Gaetz or current Rep. Byron Donalds—both of whom have toyed with the idea of running for governor—would be the more formidable GOP nominee, Pizzo shrugged.

“What do you mean formidable?” He asked coyly, speaking to The Floridian as he made his way back to his Capitol office Tuesday.

“I’m a former homicide prosecutor who handled the shootings and homicides of the most vulnerable, children, in our community,” Pizzo said. “Bring it.”

The moderate Democrat, 48, first stirred up gubernatorial speculations in September in an interview with the Sun Sentinel. Then, and later during his swearing-in as Senate Leader, he stressed his determination to steer the party away from the ultra-progressive leftism that many blame for the liberal demise seen during and after the 2024 elections.

Most recently, Pizzo seemed to flirt with the governorship after former Rep. Gaetz, an embattled conservative firebrand, teased on social media that he was "starting to think" about a 2026 run.

Pizzo's response?

"And I will kick his ass," he wrote on X, responding to a Tampa Bay Times article speculating on a Gaetz run.

Though Pizzo has not formally announced a gubernatorial campaign, his Senate term ends in 2028—two years after the 2026 governor's election. But fuel was added to the firestorm of speculation after Pizzo's colleague, former Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book, filed to run for his seat in November. In a statement to Florida Politics, Book said, "Quite simply, my work is not done."

But Democrats have a long way to go.

The state flipped to Republicans in the 2024 presidential election for the third time in a row, this time marking the first time in almost 40 years that the once-Democrat stronghold of Miami-Dade County backed a Republican president. Republicans also reinforced their imposing supermajority by gaining another seat in November.

Since then, two Democratic state representatives have defected to the GOP and Republicans now have over 1.2 million more registered voters than the Democrats.

Pizzo has repeatedly struck a middle-ground chord within his party to combat this. He believes that for Democrats to regain competitiveness in Florida, they must appeal to more centrist values and distance themselves from the far-left ideals that ruled the candidate slate in November.

Gov. DeSantis has called for a special session on Jan. 27.