Since late-April, when newly minted Democrat David Jolly entered the 2026 Florida governor’s race, he’s raised about $1 million through his political committee and main campaign account.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, has raised more than 10 times that amount through his political committee and main campaign account during the last three months – nearly $10.2 million.
State campaign finance reports made public this week underline the gap between the two major parties in the Sunshine State. Republicans have dominated Florida’s state government for more than two decades, despite the state’s swing state reputation in presidential elections prior to 2016.
Florida Democrats have seen their advantage in voter registration dwindle, then evaporate, and Republicans have passed them to hold a more than 1.2 million edge.
Since Andrew Gillum’s narrow loss to Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2018, the GOP’s voter registration edge, combined with Democrats’ inability to win close elections in the last 25 years has pushed national Democratic megadonors to stay away from Florida, an expensive state for advertising with several media markets.
Meanwhile, major donors have flocked to Republican leaders, who hold the Governor’s mansion, all Cabinet offices, supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature, 20 out of 28 U.S. House seats and both U.S. Senate seats.
Thomas Petterfy, a Palm Beach billionaire, and Richard Uihlein, a shipping company magnate, each gave $1 million to Donalds’ political committee. The Florida branch of Club for Growth, a national free trade political advocacy group, gave $975,000. Jolly’s biggest donors last quarter were Donald Sussman, a Fort Lauderdale investment advisor, and Barbara Stiefel, a South Florida heiress to a dermatology fortune, who each gave $100,000.
The Republican Party of Florida raised $1.9 million in the second quarter, while the Florida Democratic Party pulled in $607,000.
Donalds has about $20.9 million cash on hand between his political committee and main campaign account. Jolly has about $780,000. Donalds, though, could face a tougher, more expensive primary in 13 months’ time, depending on which Republicans jump in the race with him.
First Lady Casey DeSantis has publicly mulled a run to replace her term-limited husband, but hasn’t made an official announcement.
Florida Freedom Fund, the political committee overseen by DeSantis political operatives, raised about $1.3 million last quarter and has about $5 million in reserve.
In Cabinet races, Attorney General James Uthmeier, DeSantis’ former chief of staff whom he appointed to the position, raised $782,000 in the last three months and has $2.6 million cash on hand. Former state Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, the only major Democratic candidate in the attorney general race, raised $143,000 and has about $130,000 in reserve.
State Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, raised $114,400 for his campaign for Chief Financial Officer. There are no major Democratic candidates for that race yet, but there could be plenty of intrigue. The position is currently vacant, as former CFO Jimmy Patronis left to take a U.S. House seat on April 1. DeSantis hasn’t filled that spot but has a testy relationship with Gruters, who has already been endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Byron Donalds dwarfs David Jolly in early 2026 Florida governor race fundraising
Reporting by Gray Rohrer, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
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