Fort Lauderdale, Florida
AP
—
Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins introduced Monday that he’s working for governor in 2026, hoping to take over for term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The candidacy locations Collins in a Republican main race against U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. DeSantis tapped Collins to be his lieutenant governor final August, however the present governor has not made any endorsement on this 12 months’s gubernatorial race.
“I’m running for Governor because leadership is forged under pressure, not in soundbites,” Collins said in a publish on X. “I served over 23 years in the United States military, mainly as a Green Beret, where accountability is real, decisions have consequences, and service comes before self. That experience shaped how I lead and why I believe public office is a public trust.”
Born in Montana, Collins has talked overtly about private challenges he has overcome, together with experiencing homelessness whereas in highschool. He went on to hitch the Army Special Forces and finally misplaced a leg, however continued to serve 5 extra years as a Green Beret utilizing a prosthetic leg postamputation, in line with a marketing campaign biography.
In current years, Collins has served because the chief working officer of Operation BBQ Relief, which deploys cooks and cellular kitchens to ship scorching meals within the aftermath of pure disasters. Last June, Collins additionally flew to Israel to assist help state-funded flights to evacuate Americans as Israel and Iran traded missile strikes.
In Florida, the lieutenant governor place is essentially ceremonial with few official tasks, other than taking on if the governor can’t serve. Collins was first elected to Florida’s Republican-dominated state Senate in 2022 and has been seen as certainly one of DeSantis’ key allies within the Legislature.
During a information convention Monday, DeSantis known as Collins a “good guy” however added that he hadn’t determined whether or not he would make any endorsement.
“If I get involved in the primary, you’ll know it,” DeSantis stated.
DeSantis was elected governor in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Under Florida regulation, a governor can solely serve two consecutive four-year phrases.
Other candidates within the Republican main are Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett, Azoria CEO James Fishback, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and activist Bobby Williams.
Democratic candidates are Orlando Mayor Jerry Demings and former Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly.