November 3, 2025 • 9 mins
Florida's race for governor is about to get a lot more interesting. Southeast Politics Publisher Janelle Irwin-Taylor breaks down what we can expect from Collins and Deming and their influence on the race.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bringing the publisher of Southeast Politics, Janelle Irwin Taylor, is
back with us. You can find Oliver work in a
whole lot more at Southeast politics dot com and you
can follow her on x as well at Janelle Irwin
fl So, Janelle, sounds like this week could be an
interesting one for the twenty twenty six race for governor
(00:20):
with another candidate entering the race.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, well, possibly too this week. So we've got a
couple of things that we're watching for this week, maybe
bleeding him too next week. The first of which is
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. He is a Democrat who,
like Byron Donald, this elected governor, would be the state's
first black governor. He is expected to make a major
(00:48):
announcement Thursday nights at the rosen in Orlando, and a
lot of people expect that that he's announcing to run
for governor. So that's certainly something that we're watching. And
then of course there's still an open ended question about
Lieutenant Governor j Collins, who has been saying for I
don't know what is forever, that he's going to run
for governor, but still has not announced yet. He has
(01:11):
said that he was planning on making a decision soonish.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Love that word.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
It's a great word. Soonish. So that's something that could
also happen this week. But that's all happening with the
backdrop of a whole bunch of other things, right, So
we're expecting sometime this week for whatever the grand jury
is going to do in the Hope.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Florida scandal.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
We expect to have all of that information come out
probably this week again, maybe bleeding into next week. And
that could be a big thing for the governor's race
because if indictments are handed down, this is something that
could affect Governor DeSantis first Lady Casey DeSantis. If that happens,
you know that it's who Jay Collins is banking on
(01:54):
to kind of be his champion. Yep, So that could
cause problems for him. So there's a lot of things.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
To watch generalsmaking. Yes, he's the chief of staff at
the time of the Hole scandal.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
And speaking of Attorney general, you know another thing we're
watching while not Attorney CFO Kevin Steele. We're watching the
c if he makes an announcement. So there's just so
much on my head spinning.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Let's let's focus on Jerry Demings. For a second, he
would be facing former Congressman David Jolly. He was a Republican,
David Jolly now Democrats. And this is interesting because I
think a lot of people might remember the name Val Demings.
She was potentially going to be a vice presidential selection
(02:40):
for Joe Biden. Obviously he went with Kamala Harris. I
think you would have been better served with Val Demings personally,
and then she ran for Senate unsuccessful in that bid.
But now you've got Jerry Demings looking to run for governor.
How does he stack up? How do you how do
you weigh this Democratic primary if it's Demings and Jolly.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I mean, look, whoever ends up winning the Democratic nomination
is going to have a huge uphill battle facing them
in a governor's race. So there's already that, but in
terms of the actual Democratic primary, it's really hard to say.
At this point. You know, David Jolly has a jump start.
He's been just barn storming the state community by community,
(03:23):
really trying to like dig in on his grassroots efforts,
which could be successful. Andrew Gillen had a lot of
success with that in twenty eighteen, but David Jelly hasn't
really raised a ton of money. He's raised about two
million dollars as of the most recent reports, and you know,
that pales in comparison to what's being brought in on
(03:43):
the Republican side. I mean, even Paul Renner, who's the
lowest performing fundraiser on that side, has raised three point
seven million. So there's there's some idea here is that
Jerry Demmings has an opening because he is known as
a prolific fundraiser who could really bring in the type
of dollars and cents that are needed to win a
governor's race. Name recognition I think for both of them
(04:07):
is a little difficult because you know, David Jolly was
a local member of Congress and not for very long.
You know, he's been on the MSNBC circuit, but you
know how many people religiously watch MSNBC who aren't already
entrenched partisans, So you know, and Jerry Demings being in Orlando.
Orlando is a huge metropolis in the state of Florida,
(04:30):
but it's not South Florida, it's not North Florida, it's
not the Tampa Bay area. So you know, there's they
both have some challenges.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
I think one thing that stands out to me about
Jerry Demings entering the race. You know, when Val Demings
was being vetted for vice president, one thing that seemed
to work against her was that she had a law
enforcement background. And this time around, with Jerry Demings and
(05:00):
sheriff and Orlando police chief, I don't think it's going
to have the same like negative impact on a Democratic
politician as back then, you know, when you had all
of these different issues that were popping up within Democratic Party.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yeah, you know, George Floyd was still fresh in our
memories when when Val Demming's was running, And now you know,
we have we have a much different environment now where
you know, yes, there's some hostility around law enforcement, especially
as it pertains to immigration issues and ice. But you know,
this this whole defund the police thing, you know, that's
(05:39):
really similar down and now we're back to a place where,
especially in Florida, we're much more pro law enforcement. And
the key to the paths of victory for any Democrat
is through the middle, and being somebody with a law
enforcement background I think really helps capture those independent voters,
those moderate Republicans, the moderate you know, kind of right
(06:01):
of center Democrats, if you will, So that could actually
be in his advantage. But David Jolly is kind of
banking on the same sort of strategy in that he
himself used to be a Republican, so he's really targeting
what he describes as soft Republican. You don't interesting to
see how they carve those lanes, do you see?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Real quick on the Democrats? And then we'll switch over
to the Republicans, and again we're joined by Southeast Politics
publisher Janelle Irwin Taylor. Do you see maybe one more
Democrat entering the race coming more from the far left?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Yeah, you know, I mean people really want Anna Escimani
to run. She's also out of Central Florida. Unclear whether
she's going to really do that or not, but that's
somebody who's been batted around, you know. Centric Driscoll had
been under speculation, but now she's running for state Senate
and the seat that Darryl Russan is vacating. So it
(06:57):
does seem like there is an opportunity and Demos are
certainly hungry for an option that isn't you know, a
guy with a law enforcement background or a former Republican,
So you know, I definitely think that there is a
lane there. And Andrew gill improved in twenty eighteen that
that lane can work and can be successful. It's just
(07:17):
the question has to be and this is the challenge
for the Democratic Party apparatus writ large, is can a
progressive Democrat win in a general election? That's going to
be hard enough for a moderate Democrat. Yeah, it might
even be harder for a progressive.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Democrat, especially with the state where it is now a
lot different from when Andrew Gillham ran against DeSantis back
in twenty eighteen. All Right, real quick on Jay Collins,
I mean, what has taken so long here? You know,
there was talk that he was going to make an
announcement by the beginning of October. He's dragging it out.
I just don't see where anybody really is going to
(07:51):
make much headway against Byron Donalds. I mean, when you
look at some of the polling the Saint Pete Pole
that you guys did, I mean, Donald's is way ahead
of Collins and Rent. I don't think most people know
even though he's the lieutenant govenor whom Jay Collins it.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Well. I mean, I'll say the quiet part out loud
for them. I think that everyone in they would never
say this publicly or you know, anywhere that somebody might
even hear a whisper, But you know, I think that
in back rooms there's some conversation that what happens when
you know, the Trump train crashes and I obviously may
(08:26):
not figuratively, you know, but scandal, yeah exactly. And if
that sours, if people, if the American voters, in particularly
Florida voters sour on President Donald Trump, does that mean
that Byron Donald's gets you know, knocked down a peg
or two in this race. And if that happens, who's
(08:46):
going to be the person to pick up the non
Trump lane? So I think that you kind of have
just people weighing in the wings, figuring maybe at some point, yeah,
Trump's not going to loom so large in this race,
whether or not that happens, of us have a crystal
ball and that man is resilient.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Exactly breath for that, yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Exactly so. But I think that that's kind of what
people are quietly thinking to themselves, all right.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Janelle Irwin Taylor Southeast Politics publisher. You can find her
work at Southeast politics dot com and you can follow
her on exp for a whole lot more at Janelle
Irwin fl Janelle really great stuff this morning. Thanks so much,
Thank you. Who's a Ryan Gorman Show five to nine
every weekday morning on news radio two u FLA
Bringing the publisher of Southeast Politics, Janelle Irwin Taylor, is
back with us. You can find Oliver work in a
whole lot more at Southeast politics dot com and you
can follow her on x as well at Janelle Irwin
fl So, Janelle, sounds like this week could be an
interesting one for the twenty twenty six race for governor
(00:20):
with another candidate entering the race.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, well, possibly too this week. So we've got a
couple of things that we're watching for this week, maybe
bleeding him too next week. The first of which is
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. He is a Democrat who,
like Byron Donald, this elected governor, would be the state's
first black governor. He is expected to make a major
(00:48):
announcement Thursday nights at the rosen in Orlando, and a
lot of people expect that that he's announcing to run
for governor. So that's certainly something that we're watching. And
then of course there's still an open ended question about
Lieutenant Governor j Collins, who has been saying for I
don't know what is forever, that he's going to run
for governor, but still has not announced yet. He has
(01:11):
said that he was planning on making a decision soonish.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Love that word.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
It's a great word. Soonish. So that's something that could
also happen this week. But that's all happening with the
backdrop of a whole bunch of other things, right, So
we're expecting sometime this week for whatever the grand jury
is going to do in the Hope.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Florida scandal.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
We expect to have all of that information come out
probably this week again, maybe bleeding into next week. And
that could be a big thing for the governor's race
because if indictments are handed down, this is something that
could affect Governor DeSantis first Lady Casey DeSantis. If that happens,
you know that it's who Jay Collins is banking on
(01:54):
to kind of be his champion. Yep, So that could
cause problems for him. So there's a lot of things.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
To watch generalsmaking. Yes, he's the chief of staff at
the time of the Hole scandal.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
And speaking of Attorney general, you know another thing we're
watching while not Attorney CFO Kevin Steele. We're watching the
c if he makes an announcement. So there's just so
much on my head spinning.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Let's let's focus on Jerry Demings. For a second, he
would be facing former Congressman David Jolly. He was a Republican,
David Jolly now Democrats. And this is interesting because I
think a lot of people might remember the name Val Demings.
She was potentially going to be a vice presidential selection
(02:40):
for Joe Biden. Obviously he went with Kamala Harris. I
think you would have been better served with Val Demings personally,
and then she ran for Senate unsuccessful in that bid.
But now you've got Jerry Demings looking to run for governor.
How does he stack up? How do you how do
you weigh this Democratic primary if it's Demings and Jolly.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I mean, look, whoever ends up winning the Democratic nomination
is going to have a huge uphill battle facing them
in a governor's race. So there's already that, but in
terms of the actual Democratic primary, it's really hard to say.
At this point. You know, David Jolly has a jump start.
He's been just barn storming the state community by community,
(03:23):
really trying to like dig in on his grassroots efforts,
which could be successful. Andrew Gillen had a lot of
success with that in twenty eighteen, but David Jelly hasn't
really raised a ton of money. He's raised about two
million dollars as of the most recent reports, and you know,
that pales in comparison to what's being brought in on
(03:43):
the Republican side. I mean, even Paul Renner, who's the
lowest performing fundraiser on that side, has raised three point
seven million. So there's there's some idea here is that
Jerry Demmings has an opening because he is known as
a prolific fundraiser who could really bring in the type
of dollars and cents that are needed to win a
governor's race. Name recognition I think for both of them
(04:07):
is a little difficult because you know, David Jolly was
a local member of Congress and not for very long.
You know, he's been on the MSNBC circuit, but you
know how many people religiously watch MSNBC who aren't already
entrenched partisans, So you know, and Jerry Demings being in Orlando.
Orlando is a huge metropolis in the state of Florida,
(04:30):
but it's not South Florida, it's not North Florida, it's
not the Tampa Bay area. So you know, there's they
both have some challenges.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
I think one thing that stands out to me about
Jerry Demings entering the race. You know, when Val Demings
was being vetted for vice president, one thing that seemed
to work against her was that she had a law
enforcement background. And this time around, with Jerry Demings and
(05:00):
sheriff and Orlando police chief, I don't think it's going
to have the same like negative impact on a Democratic
politician as back then, you know, when you had all
of these different issues that were popping up within Democratic Party.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yeah, you know, George Floyd was still fresh in our
memories when when Val Demming's was running, And now you know,
we have we have a much different environment now where
you know, yes, there's some hostility around law enforcement, especially
as it pertains to immigration issues and ice. But you know,
this this whole defund the police thing, you know, that's
(05:39):
really similar down and now we're back to a place where,
especially in Florida, we're much more pro law enforcement. And
the key to the paths of victory for any Democrat
is through the middle, and being somebody with a law
enforcement background I think really helps capture those independent voters,
those moderate Republicans, the moderate you know, kind of right
(06:01):
of center Democrats, if you will, So that could actually
be in his advantage. But David Jolly is kind of
banking on the same sort of strategy in that he
himself used to be a Republican, so he's really targeting
what he describes as soft Republican. You don't interesting to
see how they carve those lanes, do you see?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Real quick on the Democrats? And then we'll switch over
to the Republicans, and again we're joined by Southeast Politics
publisher Janelle Irwin Taylor. Do you see maybe one more
Democrat entering the race coming more from the far left?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Yeah, you know, I mean people really want Anna Escimani
to run. She's also out of Central Florida. Unclear whether
she's going to really do that or not, but that's
somebody who's been batted around, you know. Centric Driscoll had
been under speculation, but now she's running for state Senate
and the seat that Darryl Russan is vacating. So it
(06:57):
does seem like there is an opportunity and Demos are
certainly hungry for an option that isn't you know, a
guy with a law enforcement background or a former Republican,
So you know, I definitely think that there is a
lane there. And Andrew gill improved in twenty eighteen that
that lane can work and can be successful. It's just
(07:17):
the question has to be and this is the challenge
for the Democratic Party apparatus writ large, is can a
progressive Democrat win in a general election? That's going to
be hard enough for a moderate Democrat. Yeah, it might
even be harder for a progressive.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Democrat, especially with the state where it is now a
lot different from when Andrew Gillham ran against DeSantis back
in twenty eighteen. All Right, real quick on Jay Collins,
I mean, what has taken so long here? You know,
there was talk that he was going to make an
announcement by the beginning of October. He's dragging it out.
I just don't see where anybody really is going to
(07:51):
make much headway against Byron Donalds. I mean, when you
look at some of the polling the Saint Pete Pole
that you guys did, I mean, Donald's is way ahead
of Collins and Rent. I don't think most people know
even though he's the lieutenant govenor whom Jay Collins it.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Well. I mean, I'll say the quiet part out loud
for them. I think that everyone in they would never
say this publicly or you know, anywhere that somebody might
even hear a whisper, But you know, I think that
in back rooms there's some conversation that what happens when
you know, the Trump train crashes and I obviously may
(08:26):
not figuratively, you know, but scandal, yeah exactly. And if
that sours, if people, if the American voters, in particularly
Florida voters sour on President Donald Trump, does that mean
that Byron Donald's gets you know, knocked down a peg
or two in this race. And if that happens, who's
(08:46):
going to be the person to pick up the non
Trump lane? So I think that you kind of have
just people weighing in the wings, figuring maybe at some point, yeah,
Trump's not going to loom so large in this race,
whether or not that happens, of us have a crystal
ball and that man is resilient.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Exactly breath for that, yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Exactly so. But I think that that's kind of what
people are quietly thinking to themselves, all right.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Janelle Irwin Taylor Southeast Politics publisher. You can find her
work at Southeast politics dot com and you can follow
her on exp for a whole lot more at Janelle
Irwin fl Janelle really great stuff this morning. Thanks so much,
Thank you. Who's a Ryan Gorman Show five to nine
every weekday morning on news radio two u FLA
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