BRADENTON— Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is saying that if he decides to run for governor in 2026, his campaign would be "perfectly positioned" to challenge Rep. Byron Donalds and anyone else running in the Republican gubernatorial primary race, emphasizing that the contest would not be a "DeSantis Team versus Trump Team" contest.
But while Florida Republicans hope to avoid a contentious and divisive primary election, a DeSantis vs. Trump Republican contest is all but assured.
Collins discussed his potential run for Florida governor in an interview with The Floridian publisher Javier Manjarres this week. Collins was appointed last month by Gov. Ron DeSantis, opening up the logical succession to replace him in Tallahassee.
When asked about potentially challenging Rep. Donalds, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, Collins says he was not worried about running against Rep. Donalds if all of the political stars align for him in Florida.
"If it's good for my family, it's good for the community, and it's good for the state, and all of that lines up. Then all systems are green. We'll jump in," Collins said. "That's an if right now. You got to evaluate this. You got to make sure that all of those things matter."
While an "if" is far from a "no" in politics, Collins indicated that any decision on running would include his family. His wife, Layla Collins, was appointed by DeSantis to the State Board of Education in July.
"I'm a dad, my husband, first and foremost, I love my wife, I love my sons, and this takes an inordinate amount of time. I want to make sure that it's good for them," Collins continued. "And the same thing, I'm a member of the community, I want to make sure that my leadership style, should we jump in, is what I think best for the state. And if all those happen and hit, I'm not worried about running."
When DeSantis appointed Collins, the pair made Florida the only state in the country with a governor-lieutenant governor who both served in the armed forces.
Collins, who has been one of Gov. DeSantis's most faithful lawmakers, emphasized that Florida has led the way for President Donald Trump's agenda thanks to DeSantis's leadership.
"We have led immigration. We have led on law enforcement. We've stood beside him every step of the way," Collins said. "I've supported him day in, day out, and frankly, will go to the well to support President Trump."
"He's done an amazing job, and I'm grateful. I'm grateful to see a president getting things done and following through with what he told people he was going to do," Collins continued.
"I've been the lieutenant governor for one month and three or four days. It's been pretty amazing. We've got a lot done," Collins said. "We've gone from corner to corner to corner of this state. We've been to California and back. We're trying to push the envelope of what this position means and how we can add more value each and every day."
Collins, in one of his early highlights as Florida's second in command, flew to California to apprehend an illegal alien truck driver who killed three people in a traffic incident last month.
"Idle time is not my ally. I want to be busy. I want to do things for our people," Collins continued. "I want to earn their respect and trust, because I'm doing things on the ground, serving our state each and every day. If you're gonna get dressed up or a suit and tie every day, let's get something done."
When Manjarres asked him if he had spoken to DeSantis about running for governor in 2026, Collins appeared to tiptoe around the question, emphasizing that he had "a lot of conversations" with DeSantis.
Collins: "We had a lot of conversations. The governor is an incredible guy. He really is. What I love is the fact that both of us were in the military. Both of us are veterans. The only state in the Union where that's the case right now, we know that mission success matters more than anything else. We know that putting points on the board and Deeds, not words are what matter. Look, should we jump in the race? I think we'll be perfectly positioned. I'm not worried about that right now. It's about doing the job, getting things done, and then making the right decision for my family, my community and the great state of Florida. But should we make that decision and all things are green? Then we're in it to win it, and that doesn't mean its a DeSantis team versus the Trump team. This is Team America and Team Florida. With Florida leads America wins. That's how it has to be."
Manjarres also asked Collins if he would run for governor regardless of whether DeSantis endorsed his candidacy.
Collins: "You know, I think you just got to look at where things line up, how it all plays out. And again, this is right fit for our family, the community and our state. This is nothing that's as simple as if this and that. But luckily, I work with the governor a lot. We're in great position, and I'm grateful to have his trust to be his lieutenant governor and get great things done for the state."
Former Speaker of the Florida House, Paul Renner, has already announced his gubernatorial candidacy.
