Florida voters participated in primary elections Tuesday to select candidates for governor and a U.S. Senate seat, as well as several U.S. House positions. The contest for governor follows the term-limiting of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, while the Senate race seeks to fill the remainder of the term previously held by Marco Rubio. These elections are the first held under a redrawn congressional map approved by the state legislature in May, which was designed to increase Republican representation.
The Republican gubernatorial primary featured 11 candidates, including U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins. Donalds received an endorsement from Donald Trump and maintained a fundraising advantage, while Collins, a DeSantis ally appointed to his current role in 2025, campaigned on the incumbent's legacy. On the Democratic side, six candidates competed for the nomination, led in fundraising by former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, who was joined on the ballot by running mate Gwen Graham. Other Democratic contenders included state Rep. Dotie Joseph and Dayna Marie Foster.
In the U.S. Senate race, Republican incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody ran to complete the final two years of the term she was appointed to in January 2025. The Democratic nomination for the seat was contested between state Rep. Angie Nixon and retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman. Additionally, several U.S. House races involved incumbents navigating new district boundaries, including Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, and Jared Moskowitz, who faced new Republican-leaning districts.
Voters in specific districts will notice changes in their representation due to the redistricting plan that essentially eliminated four previously Democratic-held districts. In South Florida, the Gold Coast region was redrawn with the intent of reducing Democratic districts from five to three, which forces incumbents like Rep. Moskowitz to defend their seats in more competitive territory. Furthermore, in the 20th District, residents will choose between Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in a district that is no longer majority-Black, shifting the demographic makeup of the representation.
The results will establish the field for the November midterm elections, where Florida Republicans seek to maintain their 30-year hold on the governorship. If any race results in a margin of 0.5% or less, state law requires a machine recount, which narrows to a manual recount if the margin reaches 0.25% or less. Following the certification of these primary winners, the state moves toward the general election scheduled for November 2026.