A newly released poll of likely Florida Republican primary voters reveals a tightening race for governor, showing Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins climbing into a clear second place as frontrunner Congressman Byron Donalds sees his lead narrow.
The survey of 934 voters, conducted from July 2 through July 6, places Donalds in the lead with 37.5% of the vote. Collins follows with 20.2%, while investor James Fishback stands in third place at 9.6%. Former state House Speaker Paul Renner sits at 2.1%. A significant portion of the electorate, totaling more than 28%, remains completely undecided.
The internal poll was conducted by national pollster David Jay Wolfson via a text-to-web interface on behalf of the Collins campaign. The data suggests a shift in momentum following a multimillion-dollar statewide advertising blitz launched by Collins early last month.
Despite entering the race with high name recognition and an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, Donalds has seen his numbers drop by 17 points from previous metrics, while Collins has gained 15 points.
Donalds still maintains a substantial fundraising advantage, which has funded millions of dollars in television advertisements over the past several months.
“The numbers tell a very different story than they did just a few weeks ago,” said Collins’ campaign manager, Ted Veerman. “Byron Donalds has not reached escape velocity despite entering the race with nearly universal name recognition and President Trump’s endorsement. At the same time, Lieutenant Governor Collins has surged since commencing a multimillion-dollar state advertising blitz early last month. Of particular note, former Speaker Renner is dead in the water, and this is now a two-man race between Jay Collins and Byron Donalds. Jay Collins is the only viable alternative to Byron Donalds.”
Veerman added that the data demonstrates Donalds’ lead has “significantly shrunk” and argued that Collins has “clearly made headway as Floridians are seeing him on their TV’s and in their communities.”
Collins, a former Green Beret and state senator who was appointed Lieutenant Governor by Governor Ron DeSantis, previously hinted at the shifting dynamics of the race.
“The data has shown we have a real path to victory,” Collins said earlier this week.
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