The 2026 Republican primary election in Florida is on track to be one of the most contentious political contests in recent history, as the divisive 2024 Republican presidential election between Governor Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump has left a lasting impact on Republicans ahead of the upcoming midterm election.
The political alligator swamp wrestling match between DeSantis and Trump has just begun.
DeSantis has filled the state cabinet and executive office positions with his loyalists, who all supported his ill-advised 2024 presidential campaign against President Trump.
The Floridian learned several months ago of talk about putting together a pro-Trump slate of candidates developed around the Trump-endorsed candidate for governor, Rep. Byron Donalds.
That Trump slate is all but etched in stone, as Speaker of the House Daniel Perez, State Rep. Kevin Steele are said to be on President Trump's radar and wish list to challenge AG Uthmeier and CFO Ingoglia, respectively.
While Speaker Perez, who recently met with President Trump at the White House, has not completely made up his mind about challenging Uthmeier, Rep. Steele is expected to declare his candidacy for CFO in the near future, with a formal announcement coming within a couple weeks, but probably sooner.
First of all, who says 'No" to President Trump? Expect Perez to jump in the race.
A Trump-endorsed slate of Donalds, Perez, and Steele could be seen as an unstoppable MAGA political vote-getting machine fueled by the backing of the White House and the MAGA faction of the Republican Party.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters has already endorsed Donalds for governor, and if the president endorses Rep. Steele and Speaker Perez, Gruters may follow.
Gruters will not endorse any candidate for office, but would do so if the White House directed him to.
Pro-Trump State Rep. Juan Porras says he supports a Trump slate "1000%."
"We need elected statewide leaders that stand with President Trump always, not just when politically expedient," stated Rep. Porras. "I fully support Byron Donalds and I hope we have a slate of Trump-endorsed Cabinet members to support him down ballot in 2026."
Team DeSantis
A DeSantis slate of Uthmeier, Collins, and Ingoglia, would be unbeatable in any election cycle if not for the political baggage they carry stemming from the 2024 presidential campaign.
Collins, a decorated U.S. Army Green Beret, checks off all the boxes to be governor, but his allegiance to, and the heavy lift he did for DeSantis in the state legislature leading up to, during, and after the presidential primary election, hurts him with the MAGA base of the party.
Ingoglia, who was part of the 'Cannoli Caucus' in the state Senate and who is cleaning house with his statewide DOGE efforts, blocked and tackled for DeSantis in the state legislature and chaired the Empower Parents political action committee that transferred $82,500,000 to the Never Back Down PAC that directly challenged Trump.
Uthmeier is aggressively addressing the illegal immigration problem in Florida and is slapping cuffs on every criminal he can get his hands on, but served as DeSantis campaign manager during the 2024 presidential primary.
All things DeSantis, including the pressuring of lawmakers for endorsements and lobbyist for campaign cash, was orchestrated by Uthmeier.
How we got Here?
Rep. Donalds had to move up his gubernatorial announcement after President Trump's surprise endorsement caught him off guard.
The Floridian broke the news that Gov. DeSantis was actively calling donors and asking them to hold off on donating to Donalds, prompting President Trump to announce his endorsement of Byron several hours after the story was released.
Chatter quickly began that Gov. DeSantis was looking to fill several key positions with individuals within his inner political circle.
Since Donalds announced his candidacy, DeSantis appointed former Attorney General Ashley Moody to replace then-Senator Marco Rubio, who Trump picked to be Secretary of State.
DeSantis then replaced Moody with his chief of staff, James Uthmeier.
State Senator Blaise Ingoglia was then appointed to replace outgoing Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who ran and won his special election to replace Rep. Matt Gaetz in U.S. House of Representatives District 1,
Now, after passing over him in favor of now Senator Moody, DeSantis appointed State Senator Jay Collins as lieutenant governor, filling the vacancy left open for months after former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez left the position to head up Florida International University.
What to watch for?
Outside of the movements of the aforementioned probably Trump candidates for statewide office, Rep. Meg Weinberger, AKA 'MAGA Meg,' could be in consideration for the lieutenant governor position if Donalds wins the nomination.
Team MAGA, which includes everyone from White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Pollster Tony Fabrizio, Deputy White House chief of Staff James Blair, Senator Rick Scott, and Chairman Gruters, are all expected to engage in the primary race in support of Donalds and the MAGA slate.
What do all of these people have in common?
Yep, you guessed it. There is no love loss between them and DeSantis.
Republican influencers and Trump supporters like Laura Loomer, Roger Stone, and Brendan Dilley, are also expected to chime in as well.
