Current Florida Lt. Gov. and former gubernatorial candidate Jay Collins has cast his endorsement for Byron Donalds in the 2026 Florida governor election.
Collins placed second in the Republican primary on August 18. Donalds, a current U.S. representative for Florida’s 19th congressional district, won commandingly with 47.8% of the vote. Collins placed second with 25.2%, followed by James Fishback with 10.5%.
Donalds is running to keep the Florida governorship in Republican hands. Ron DeSantis is barred from running for a third term by Florida’s term limit laws. Donalds’ foremost opponent is Democratic nominee David Jolly.
“I spent 23 years as a Green Beret fighting for this country,” Collins said to begin his endorsement. “I know the price of freedom because I paid it in blood. Our mission right now is to keep Florida free. As Lieutenant Governor, I’m committed to protecting and preserving our freedoms for the people who call Florida home.
“We cannot afford to turn that progress over to David Jolly. Today, I’m endorsing Byron Donalds for Governor because I believe he can continue that work and keep Florida moving forward. It’s time for Republicans to come together with a shared focus on winning in November and delivering for the people who call Florida home.”
Since the primary elections in August the Florida governor’s race is polling considerably closer than the 2022 race, which an incumbent DeSantis won by almost 20 percentage points. Donalds has largely polled only a few points ahead of Jolly, with one recent showing by Decision Desk HQ even putting Jolly up by 1.4%.
On Tuesday it was widely reported that Donalds’ campaign removed many references to President Donald Trump from his website. The site formerly referred to Donalds as a “Trump-Endorsed Proven Conservative Fighter”, per The Miami Herald.
President Trump is still listed among Donalds’ foremost campaign endorsements and on Tuesday he tweeted a reaffirmation of his gratitude for Trump’s support. Gov. Ron DeSantis has also endorsed Donalds, as has former ex-gubernatorial candidate Paul renner and former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. Collins was among the foremost Florida Republicans who still hadn’t endorsed Donalds before Tuesday.
“I am honored to have the endorsement of Jay Collins, a man who knows what it means to proudly serve our country and our great state and who has sacrificed a great deal to protect our freedoms,” Donalds said in response to Collins. “Republicans need to stand as a united front now more than ever. With Jay Collins on our side, I am confident we will defeat David Jolly, keep Florida red, and make our state safer and more affordable for every Floridian.”
David Jolly, meanwhile, has received the endorsement of Nikki Fried, the most recent Democrat to win statewide office in Florida. The former Agriculture Commissioner is now the chair of the Florida Democratic Party. U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has also thrown his support behind Jolly.
