Florida State Senator Jay Collins (R) is considering a run for governor in the 2026 gubernatorial contest, a move that would pit him against Trump-endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds for the Republican nomination, and quite possibly First Lady Casey DeSantis.
Sen. Collins, who supports President Trump and is also a staunch ally of Governor Ron DeSantis, has been testing the waters and has spoken to several donors and supporters of both Rep. Donalds and Governor Ron DeSantis about the job.
Those donors, who asked that The Floridian not disclose their identities, said that the wounded, former U.S. Army Green Beret, had openly discussed with them running to replace Gov. DeSantis.
The donors all believe that Sen. Collins checks off all the boxes to be governor, with one of them saying that he was not sure if Rep. Donalds had the nomination all wrapped up, even with the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
All of the sources we spoke to were open to supporting Collins and Donalds, but not First Lady Casey DeSantis, who is also considering a gubernatorial run to replace her husband.
Could Gov. DeSantis back Collins over his wife?
No.
Why would DeSantis support Collins?
Collins, along with Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R), hasa been at the forefront pushing DeSantis's Florida First agenda in the state legislature, so one would think that DeSantis would acknowledge the loyalty and support Collins, right?
DeSantis interviewed and then passed on Collins to replace then-Senator Marco Rubio who was appointed and confirmed to be Secretary of State, picking Attorney General Ashley Moody to be the next U.S. Senator from Florida.
Rumors have been swirling around for months in Florida that a Casey DeSantis announcement for governor was imminent.
The DeSantis’s have fueled 2026 campaign speculation of a third DeSantis term in office, but after the $10 million Hope Florida scandal broke, the first couple appears to have pivoted into a defensive posture and doubled down in support of Mrs. DeSantis’ non-profit.
“We’ll see,” said Mrs. DeSantis when she was recently asked if she was going to run.
Scandal aside, Republican voters may not be keen on voting for a third DeSantis term in office.
DeSantis has been an ardent supporter of term limits since before running for Congress in 2012, and while he isn’t (he can’t) running for a third term as governor, if his wife were to run and win the governor’s race, her governorship would in essence be a third term in office for “America’s Governor.”
This is a real issue, possibly a big problem in a Republican primary election.
But wait, that Hope Florida scandal appears to be getting bigger.
There is now an open criminal investigation into Hope Florida.
A recent James Madison Institute public opinion poll shows Donalds crushing Mrs. DeSantis once Republican voters know that Trump has endorsed him in the race.
The result of the latest poll shows that President Trump’s endorsement continues to hold among Florida Republicans. Over 60% of those polled indicated they’d be more likely to support a candidate endorsed by the president. Yet, in the May poll, just 38% of GOP voters knew Donalds had the president’s endorsement.
And then there is State Senator Jason Pizzo (I).
Pizzo left the Democratic Party and will run for governor.
"The Democratic Party in Florida is dead. There are good people that can resuscitate it, but they don't want it to be me. That's not convenient. That's not cool," said Sen. Pizzo.
Can Pizzo win as an independent?
$55 million says he could have a very good chance of becoming governor of Florida.
If Mrs. DeSantis, who has been eyeing the governorship for quite some time, doesn't run, could DeSantis throw his support behind someone like Collins?
The problem for anyone who DeSantis supports for the governorship is that they would immediately be thrown into the toxic Trump vs. DeSantis rivalry.
Who wants to be on the receiving end of a Trump social media post?
Exactly. No one would.
Collins could not be reached for comment.
