Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings on Thursday formally announced his bid for governor, setting up a Democratic primary fight next year against former Congressman David Jolly.
Demings, a former Orlando police chief and former Orange County sheriff who opened a campaign account for the gubernatorial race last week, issued a statement early Thursday that focused on a need to make Florida more affordable.
“Our state has become more expensive and less fair for everyone, all while power is being stripped away from local communities that know their residents best,” Demings said. “Florida needs a change. We need a different type of governor who puts delivering results before grabbing headlines and petty political fights.”
Demings, who has been Orange County mayor since 2018, was expected to hold an event later Thursday in Orlando to further launch the campaign.
With Gov. Ron DeSantis unable to run in 2026 because of term limits, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and former state House Speaker Paul Renner are seeking the Republican nomination for governor.
Jolly, a former Republican who kicked off his campaign in June, welcomed Demings to the race Thursday.
“All of Florida --- Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike --- deserves a spirited Democratic Party primary that puts voters first, one rooted in real solutions for the affordability of housing and health care, the future of public education, protecting personal freedoms, and restoring trust and competence in government,” Jolly said in a prepared statement.
The tone Thursday was different from a memo that Jolly’s campaign sent earlier in the week outlining “the choice before Democrats.”
Touting Jolly, the memo asked who can unite the party, break nearly three decades of Republican control of the state and “has the credibility and message to defeat Republican extremism --- not with partisan rhetoric, but with practical ideas that connect across political lines?”
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The memo said that “for 30 years, Florida Democrats have repeated the same losing formula: Campaigns built around consultants instead of communities, focused on fundraisers and corporate boardrooms instead of front porches and town halls. We’ve ignored voters, chased special-interest money, and prioritized the political class over everyday Floridians.”
It also included former U.S. Rep. Val Demings, who is married to Jerry Demings, among “well intended, dedicated nominees” who “still came up short” in statewide contests. Val Demings, who served in Congress from 2017 to 2023, lost a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2022 to then-Sen. Marco Rubio, who is now U.S. Secretary of State.
Asked about the contest Wednesday, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said having two prominent candidates will provide an “opportunity for the people of our state to hear from our statewide candidates, to share their vision, ask the tough questions.”
Fried said the party’s job is to build “the infrastructure that no matter who the Democrats in our primary decide to choose, we are going to be ready to build a coalition to again share the vision of what the next chapter of Florida looks like.”
Whoever emerges from the Democratic primary is expected to be the underdog in the general election, as Republicans have huge edges in fundraising and voter registration. The last Democrat to win a gubernatorial race was Lawton Chiles, who was re-elected in 1994.
The Republican Party of Florida greeted Demings’ entry into the contest with a news release saying his campaign is “destined to flop.”
“Under Republican leadership, Florida is booming, freedom is prevailing, and Republicans hold a record voter advantage,” GOP Chairman Evan Power said in the release.
As of Sept. 30, Florida had about 5.5 million “active” Republican registered voters and nearly 4.12 million Democrats. Another 3.38 million voters had no party affiliation.
The Republican Governors Association took a shot at Democrats, saying Demings opening a campaign account was a sign "Florida Democrats are clearly unimpressed with David Jolly's Charlie Crist impersonation.”
Crist, a former congressman who won statewide races including the 2006 gubernatorial contest as a Republican, was the unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial nominee in 2014 and 2022.
Equal Ground, a Black-led, nonprofit organization, noted that with Demings entering the campaign, Florida could have Black candidates topping the ticket for both major parties in 2026. Donalds, who has the backing of President Donald Trump, is Black.
“This moment represents a defining chapter for Florida … It stands as a powerful milestone in a state where Black voices, leadership, and civic power have for far too long faced systemic barriers towards progress,” Equal Ground said in an email.
