Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins announced his long-awaited bid for governor Monday, hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis wavered on whether he鈥檒l get involved in the Republican race to succeed him.
Collins, a 49-year-old former Green Beret and state senator, told that his commitment to DeSantis鈥� agenda and willingness to partner with President Donald Trump would mark his tenure as Florida governor. His statement came just hours after DeSantis ducked a question about whether he plans to endorse Collins.
鈥淚鈥檓 running for governor to keep Florida strong and to build on the legacy of leadership that has made our state the model for the nation,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s governor, I will be a strong partner to President Trump in fighting for secure borders, a strong economy, and an America First agenda that puts families and freedom first.鈥�
Collins becomes the latest Republican to enter the gubernatorial primary, joining Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, former House Speaker Paul Renner, and investor James Fishback.
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Although the timing was unanticipated, the choice to run is not a surprise. Collins has been at his plan to run for six months 鈥� since DeSantis first elevated him to the lieutenant governor post in August. By picking Collins, speculation that DeSantis would support him as a hand-picked successor in a 2026 bid ran rampant.
At the time, DeSantis did nothing to quell those rumors.
Instead, he bashed Donalds and while hailing Collins as the 鈥淐huck Norris of Florida politics.鈥� He brought the Tampa Republican to the majority of his press conferences in late summer and early fall, posted campaign-like videos of Collins鈥� accomplishments, and even the lieutenant governor to California to extradite an undocumented immigrant accused of vehicular manslaughter.
But that relationship appears to have thinned in the months since Collins took over the second-in-command role.
鈥淛ay鈥檚 a good guy, he鈥檚 served this country admirably as a Green Beret, he has had a great conservative record in the Florida Senate,鈥� DeSantis told onlookers at an unrelated press conference in Davie Monday morning.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know when he鈥檚 going to announce or not announce. My role 鈥� obviously I鈥檓 focused on the State of the State [address] and some other things. If I get involved in the primary you鈥檒l know it, it鈥檒l be at a time and place of my choosing, and so we鈥檒l see,鈥� he added.
NBC in mid-December that two of DeSantis鈥� aides have been quietly in contact with Fishback, an acute critic of both Collins and Donalds. Both aides have denied the report.
In early December, DeSantis told the that he doesn鈥檛 鈥済et involved in a lot of primaries,鈥� and stressed that 鈥渨e鈥檒l see鈥� whether he chooses to wade into the race. At the time, he emphasized the importance of having a strong record and being aligned with him on policies, but didn鈥檛 offer the same glowing praise he鈥檇 previously offered of Collins on those counts.
Collins was the only top Florida official missing at a recent press conference at the 鈥淒eportation Depot鈥� immigrant detention center in Baker County.
Collins, meanwhile, has stuck by all of the governor鈥檚 policies, regularly lauding him on social media and in interviews with the press.
The primary is on Aug. 18.
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