Florida's 2026 gubernatorial race just became significantly more competitive.
Democrats found a candidate they've been desperately searching for.
And Byron Donalds got some bad news that Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings just delivered.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings officially entered the 2026 Florida governor's race by filing paperwork on October 31, positioning himself as a potential challenger to Trump-backed Congressman Byron Donalds for the state's top job.¹
Demings, 66, currently oversees an $8.3 billion budget as mayor of one of Florida's largest counties.²
He's built his career on a law enforcement foundation that spans more than three decades — serving as Orlando's first African American police chief in 1998, then Orange County's first African American sheriff from 2008 to 2018, before becoming the county's first African American mayor in 2018.³
The race could make Florida history if either Donalds or Demings wins the general election — both men would become the state's first Black governor.
Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum narrowly lost to Governor Ron DeSantis in 2018 in Florida's closest gubernatorial race in modern history.⁴
Democrats find their candidate after months of searching
Florida Democrats have struggled to recruit a top-tier candidate since DeSantis announced he wouldn't seek another term due to constitutional term limits.
Former Republican Congressman David Jolly switched parties earlier this year and entered the Democratic primary in June.⁵
But Democrats worried Jolly too closely resembled Charlie Crist, who lost to DeSantis by nearly 20 points in 2022 after switching from Republican to independent to Democrat.⁶
Demings brings something Jolly can't — a lifelong Democrat with deep roots in law enforcement and executive experience managing a major county.
He's married to former U.S. Representative Val Demings, who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate against Marco Rubio in 2022.⁷
Together, they've been among Central Florida's most visible Democrat figures for years.
Demings plans a formal campaign announcement this Thursday in Orlando.⁸
His entry immediately reshapes the Democratic primary and creates a formidable challenge to Jolly, who's been campaigning across Florida since June with over 100 campaign events.⁹
Byron Donalds strikes back against Demings
The Donalds campaign didn't wait long to define Demings for voters.
Ryan Smith, chief strategist for Donalds, released a statement calling Demings "weak, woke, and wrong for Florida."¹⁰
"Jerry Demings is the candidate the radical Florida Democrat party has been dreaming of," Smith stated. "As police chief, Demings pushed weak-on-crime policies. As Orange County Mayor, he refused to work with ICE to deport criminal illegals and pushed radical ideas like allowing grown men in girls' locker rooms and men to compete in girls' sports."¹¹
The Donalds campaign also highlighted Demings' recent battles with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier over immigration enforcement.
In August 2025, Uthmeier threatened to have DeSantis remove Demings and all six Orange County commissioners from office if they didn't sign an agreement allowing county jail staff to transport immigration detainees to ICE facilities.¹²
Demings eventually signed the agreement but told reporters: "Yes, we signed the damn thing because we really had to. We were put in a tough spot. I can't let our entire board of county commissioners and myself be removed from office."¹³
He later described the decision as being made "under protest and extreme duress."¹⁴
That moment perfectly captures the challenge Demings faces.
Florida has swung decisively Republican in recent years — the state now has 1.4 million more registered Republicans than Democrats.¹⁵
Demings' tendency to cave under pressure from Republican leaders doesn't exactly inspire confidence he could stand up to them as governor.
Florida Republicans prepare for competitive race
Donalds remains the Republican frontrunner after receiving President Trump's endorsement in February 2025.¹⁶
The Naples congressman has raised over $3 million for his gubernatorial bid, with significant contributions from Trump's donor network including Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein ($1 million) and Texas health care executive Clive Fields ($500,000).¹⁷
First Lady Casey DeSantis continues to consider her own gubernatorial run, though she hasn't filed any paperwork.¹⁸
Governor DeSantis has publicly promoted his wife as the best person to continue his administration's legacy, creating tension with Donalds who was once a close DeSantis ally.¹⁹
The DeSantis-Donalds relationship soured after Donalds endorsed Trump over DeSantis in the 2024 presidential primary.²⁰
DeSantis' political operation has been making calls to Tallahassee lobbyists urging them not to support Donalds' campaign.²¹
Recent polling shows Donalds leading potential Republican primary opponents.
In a four-way race against Casey DeSantis, former House Speaker Paul Renner, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, Donalds gets 35% to DeSantis' 27%.²²
When poll respondents learned Trump endorsed Donalds, his support increased significantly while other candidates' numbers declined.²³
Demings faces an uphill battle in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat governor since Lawton Chiles won reelection in 1994.²⁴
But his law enforcement background and executive experience managing one of Florida's largest counties makes him Democrats' strongest candidate in years.
The Democrat primary between Demings and Jolly will test whether voters prefer a lifelong Democrat with establishment credentials or a former Republican promising centrist policies.
That fight won't be decided until August 2026.
¹ Jim Mishler, "Orange County Mayor Enters Race for Florida Governor," Newsmax, November 3, 2025.
² Christine Sexton, "Florida's Race For Governor Is Getting More Crowded," Florida Phoenix, November 4, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Mitch Perry, "It's official: David Jolly is a Democratic candidate for governor in '26," Florida Phoenix, June 5, 2025.
⁶ Liv Caputo, "Former Republican David Jolly launches long-shot bid for Florida governor as a Democrat," NBC News, June 5, 2025.
⁷ Jim Mishler, "Orange County Mayor Enters Race for Florida Governor," Newsmax, November 3, 2025.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Greg Fox, "Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings files to run for Florida governor," WESH 2 News, November 3, 2025.
¹⁰ Christine Sexton, "Florida's Race For Governor Is Getting More Crowded," Florida Phoenix, November 4, 2025.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² Jerry Demings, Wikipedia, November 4, 2025.
¹³ Mitch Perry, "Under duress, Orange County mayor signs ICE addendum to ward off threat of removal from office," Florida Phoenix, August 1, 2025.
¹⁴ Christine Sexton, "Florida's Race For Governor Is Getting More Crowded," Florida Phoenix, November 4, 2025.
¹⁵ Liv Caputo, "Former Republican David Jolly launches long-shot bid for Florida governor as a Democrat," NBC News, June 5, 2025.
¹⁶ Mitch Perry, "Byron Donalds is running for governor. With Trump's backing, can anyone stop him?" Florida Phoenix, February 26, 2025.
¹⁷ Dareh Gregorian and Henry J. Gomez, "Ron DeSantis' team is urging Florida lobbyists not to back Rep. Byron Donalds for governor," NBC News, March 19, 2025.
¹⁸ Jim Mishler, "Orange County Mayor Enters Race for Florida Governor," Newsmax, November 3, 2025.
¹⁹ Ibid.
²⁰ The Associated Press, "Things to Know About Byron Donalds, Trump's Pick to Be Florida's Next Governor," U.S. News & World Report, February 26, 2025.
²¹ Dareh Gregorian and Henry J. Gomez, "Ron DeSantis' team is urging Florida lobbyists not to back Rep. Byron Donalds for governor," NBC News, March 19, 2025.
²² Mitch Perry, "Byron Donalds continues to lead all Florida Republicans in 2026 gubernatorial poll," Florida Phoenix, July 14, 2025.
²³ Ibid.
²⁴ Christine Sexton, "Florida's Race For Governor Is Getting More Crowded," Florida Phoenix, November 4, 2025.
