Jonathan Roman | Staff Writer
Today, August 18, 2026, is Florida’s Election Day. Voters are heading to the polls this Tuesday for primary elections that will determine nominees for state governor, U.S. Senate, Congress, Florida offices, state legislature, and multiple local offices. Voting precincts are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The 2026 election will be the first election with Florida’s newly redrawn map; after Governor Ron DeSantis called for a 2026 special legislative session, the newly approved map has reshaped several South Florida congressional districts.
Florida holds closed primaries, meaning voters vote only in the primary of the political party to which they are registered.
Governor
Republican Primary:
Ron DeSantis is term-limited which bars him from seeking a third consecutive term. The Republican field is crowded with twelve republican candidates on the ballot. The main candidates are Congressman Byron Donalds, Jay Collins Florida Lieutenant Governor, Paul Renner former Florida House Speaker, and businessman James Fishback. The frontrunner is Byron Donalds. Donalds was endorsed by President Donald Trump early in the race making him the expected favorite.
Donalds, a staunch Trump supporter, has run his campaign on property insurance, housing cost and affordability. During his tenure in the Florida Legislature Donalds focused on school choice and parental rights in education. Donalds is pushing to implement President Trump’s agenda and fight illegal immigration.
Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins has been endorsed by Governor Ron. DeSantis as he emphasised his ties with the DeSantis administration and his military background. James Fishback has garnered a lot of media attention by running a populist, anti-establishment campaign and gaining online attention.
Fishback has also taken firm stances against building Data centers in the state. Fishback says he would not allow new data centers to be built and would take controversial stances like pledging on day one in office, he would hike tuition to $1 million for foreign students.
AI Data Centers have emerged as an important issue in the governor’s race. Donald’s has rejected calls to ban data centers in the state arguing that Florida should remain competitive in artificial intelligence investment.
Democratic Primary:
On the democratic side, six candidates are running for governor. The frontrunner for this race is former Republican congressman David Jolly. Jolly’s campaign focuses on affordability and the cost of living for Floridians. Jolly argues that Florida families are “being squeezed by rising housing, insurance, and everyday costs.” As well Jolly is running on Abortion rights supporting restoring abortion in Florida.
The Democratic primary is a test of whether a democrat can pull a win in Florida which has become increasingly more republican over the years. The last time a Democrat was elected governor was 1994.
U.S. Senate
Republican
After Marco Rubio left the Senate to serve as U.S. Secretary of State his seat became vacant. Governor Ron DeSantis appointed then Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill his seat. There are four republicans running however, Moody being the incumbent senator has the advantage and statewide recognition.
Democratic
Angie Nixon, a Florida State representative from Jacksonville, and Alex Vindman, a retired Lieutenant Colonel and former National Security Council official, are running.
Vindman is widely known after testifying during President Trump’s first Impeachment hearing. The democratic winner will face Ashley Moody in November in a statewide race.
General Election
The primary winner will advance to the November 3 general election.
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