2026 Florida gubernatorial election

2026 Florida
gubernatorial election
Popular election; Majority of votes needed to win
Governor before election; Ron DeSantis; Republican	Elected Governor ; TBD;

The 2026 Florida gubernatorial election will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Florida.^[1] Incumbent Governor Ron DeSantis will be term limited through the state's constitution and cannot run for reelection to a third term.^[2]

Eligibility & requirements

Section 5 of the state's constitution states for a person to serve as governor must:

be at least thirty years old.
be a permanent resident in Florida for at least seven years.^[2]

Election process and term limits

The governor is indirectly elected by the citizens of Florida through the Popular election to a four-year term, along with the lieutenant governor candidate and the incumbent lieutenant governor of Florida. The gubernatorial candidate or incumbent governor must have at least majority votes in order to win the election.

The state's constitution forbids anyone from being elected governor more than twice.

Possible debate topics

Abortion

The Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision in June 2022, which overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and permitted U.S. states to fully ban abortion for the first time in nearly 50 years, has made abortion a more possible issue. In the 2026 election, the topic of abortion is expected to play a major role in the Republican Party.

Crime

Due to mass shootings increasingly surging in the United States, the Democratic Party has advocated for an assault weapons ban. This is most likely a major campaign topic to play out in both parties.

Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic left a major effect in Florida, leaving over more than 70,000 deaths and over 5 million confirmed cases. This issue will most likely be the main topic within the Republican Party.

Republican Party

Incumbent Governor Ron DeSantis was elected in 2018 and was reelected in 2022, and cannot seek reelection to a third term due to the state's constitution of term limits.^[2]

Potential candidates haven't stated or expressed interest in running yet but might do so such as, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Congressman Matt Gaetz, Senator Marco Rubio or Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis

Democratic Party

Potential candidates haven't stated or expressed interest in running yet, but the following individuals have been floated as possible candidates:

Jason Pizzo, Member of the Florida Senate since 2018
Anna Eskamani, Member of the Florida House of Representatives for the 42nd District
Lauren Book, Member of the Florida Senate since 2016
Gwen Graham, former U.S. Representative for Florida's 2nd Congressional District
Nikki Fried, Florida's 12th Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services (2019-2023), Chair of the Florida Democratic Party (2023-present), and former candidate for Governor in 2022.
Shevrin Jones, Member of the Florida Senate since 2020
Buddy Dyer, 32nd Mayor of Orlando, Florida (2003-present)
Stephanie Murphy, former U.S. Representative for Florida’s 7th Congressional District

References

↑ "2026 United States gubernatorial elections", Wikipedia, 2023-01-21, retrieved 2023-01-27
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 "Article IV, Florida Constitution". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-01-27.

[1] "2026 United States gubernatorial elections", Wikipedia, 2023-01-21, retrieved 2023-01-27

[Article_IV,_Florida_Constitution-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 "Article IV, Florida Constitution". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-01-27.

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