The election for Florida governor will be decided on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and the seat is open: Governor Ron DeSantis cannot seek another term after eight years in office. Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly are competing after the primaries on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. In Florida, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on a single ticket.
According to the Pew Research Center (September 10, 2026), Hispanics make up 22.6% of Florida's eligible voters. Another Pew analysis (January 10, 2024) ranks the state third in the number of eligible Latino voters, 3.5 million, after California and Texas. ClickOrlando (October 14, 2026) describes them as about one in four voters in the electorate and notes that both parties are vying for them, with clashes over the economy and immigration enforcement. Estimates vary depending on the source and what each measures.
In the NBC 6/Telemundo poll conducted by Mason-Dixon, property taxes were the third most important issue among Hispanics (13%) and immigration enforcement, the fourth (12%). These are pocketbook and family issues: housing costs, home insurance, and immigration status.
Byron Donalds (Republican) was elected in 2020 and has represented Congressional District 19 since January 2021. On August 25, 2026, he named state Senator Bryan Avila of Hialeah as his running mate. According to AP/PBS (August 19, 2026), he has promised tax cuts, insurance regulation reform to lower consumer costs, and more price transparency in healthcare providers.
Regarding data centers, according to News4JAX (October 5, 2026), he says the decision belongs to local governments and offers two guarantees: that utility bills will not increase as a result and that freshwater will be protected. His campaign released ads on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, highlighting endorsements from DeSantis and President Donald Trump. On Thursday, October 15, 2026, he said his campaign has spoken with Hispanic groups, black voters, religious groups, and Jewish voters. In the reviewed sources, no detailed stance from him on immigration is found.
David Jolly (Democrat) was a federal representative for Florida's 13th District from 2014 to 2017, as a Republican. He later became a critic of Trump and a political commentator, and left the Republican Party in September 2018. His running mate is Gwen Graham. According to WFLA (October 15, 2026), he believes the reaction to current immigration enforcement levels will sway more voters toward Democrats, and asserts that Republicans have shifted from border security to cruelty. This is a political assessment, not a detailed plan.
That day, he opened «Casa Jolly,» a Hispanic outreach office, in Tampa. According to WWSB (October 3, 2026), he focuses much of his message on public education: he calls for increased investment and a review of how the state uses tourist taxes to ensure more money reaches schools. Regarding data centers, according to News4JAX (October 5, 2026), he says he would impose a moratorium on large-scale data centers on his first day in office.
Recent polls do not entirely agree:
The RealClearPolling average (September 24-October 9) gives Donalds 48% and Jolly 43%, and classifies the race as «Toss Up,» meaning no clear favorite. The numbers among Hispanic voters vary by pollster, and each sample has its own margin of error.
Byron Donalds has consolidated himself as a strong ally of President Donald Trump, a political closeness that raises questions about his willingness to make independent decisions when Florida's interests conflict with the White House's priorities. David Jolly, on the other hand, represents a distinct alternative: a former Republican who presents himself as a more moderate and pragmatic voice, with proposals focused on the cost of living, immigration, civil rights, and climate change.
The underlying difference is not only ideological but also one of leadership: Donalds bets on the continuity of Trump's agenda, while Jolly seeks to project a more independent vision centered on Floridians' everyday challenges. The question is which of the two will be able to turn their promises into concrete solutions for the state.
We summarize the voting records and actions of Byron Donalds and David Jolly, and their proposals on six issues that affect the pocketbook, family, and community. The candidates appear in the same order and with the same treatment. Where less information is available about one of them, we say so. The election is on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
An advertisement from Donalds claims that Jolly lobbied for offshore oil drilling. However, PolitiFact and WUFT conclude that although he attended a 2011 meeting where such a project was discussed, he did not actually advocate for it, as indicated by the lobbying form. Additionally, no proposals regarding ethics rules from him have been found in the reviewed sources.
Sources: Wikipedia; AP/PBS; News4JAX; WFLA; WWSB; RealClearPolling; Florida Politics; Newsweek; NBC News; Florida Phoenix; ClickOrlando; Tallahassee Reports; Pew Research Center; Pew Research Center (2024); Florida Division of Elections; Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections; Pinellas Supervisor of Elections; WPTV; Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives
