The 2018 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Florida, alongside an election to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and other state and local elections. Incumbent two-term Republican Governor Rick Scott was term-limited and could not run for a third term, and he successfully ran for Florida's Class I Senate seat.
Republican U.S. representative Ron DeSantis narrowly defeated Democratic mayor of Tallahassee Andrew Gillum for the governorship, in what some considered an upset. The candidate filing deadline was June 22, 2018, and primary elections were held on August 28. Florida uses a closed primary process, in which the selection of each party's candidates for a general election is limited to registered members of that party; Gillum won the Democratic primary and DeSantis the Republican primary.
The close margin mandated a machine recount, which had a deadline of November 15, 2018. After the recount was complete, DeSantis was certified as the winner. Gillum conceded on November 17. DeSantis's victory marked the sixth straight election in which Florida elected a Republican to the governorship, and the third in a row that neither candidate received over 50% of the vote. With a margin of 0.4%, this election was the closest race of the 2018 gubernatorial election cycle, and also the closest gubernatorial election in Florida history. Gillum became the first Democrat to win Duval County since 1986 and Seminole County since 1990, while DeSantis became the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to win Jefferson County since 1884.
The 2018 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Florida, alongside an election to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and other state and local elections. Incumbent two-term Republican Governor Rick Scott was term-limited and could not run for a third term, and he successfully ran for Florida's Class I Senate seat.
Republican U.S. representative Ron DeSantis narrowly defeated Democratic mayor of Tallahassee Andrew Gillum for the governorship, in what some considered an upset. The candidate filing deadline was June 22, 2018, and primary elections were held on August 28. Florida uses a closed primary process, in which the selection of each party's candidates for a general election is limited to registered members of that party; Gillum won the Democratic primary and DeSantis the Republican primary.
The close margin mandated a machine recount, which had a deadline of November 15, 2018. After the recount was complete, DeSantis was certified as the winner. Gillum conceded on November 17. DeSantis's victory marked the sixth straight election in which Florida elected a Republican to the governorship, and the third in a row that neither candidate received over 50% of the vote. With a margin of 0.4%, this election was the closest race of the 2018 gubernatorial election cycle, and also the closest gubernatorial election in Florida history. Gillum became the first Democrat to win Duval County since 1986 and Seminole County since 1990, while DeSantis became the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to win Jefferson County since 1884.
Republican primary
Nominee
Ron DeSantis, U.S. representative from the 6th district and Iraq War veteran
Eliminated in primary
Don Baldauf, contractor
Timothy Devine, candidate for governor of Florida in 2014
Bob Langford, attorney
John Joseph Mercadante, Republican National Committee official
Bruce Nathan, physical therapist and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016
Adam Putnam, Florida commissioner of agriculture and former U.S. representative
Bob White, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida
Withdrawn
Issak Almaleh, notary
Frederick Buntin, incarcerated felon
Usha Jain, medical director
Jack Latvala, former Florida state senator
Armando Adames Rivas, banker
Angel Rivera, businessman, political strategist
Nathan Dale Wilson
Declined
Jeff Atwater, former chief financial officer of Florida
Pam Bondi, Florida attorney general (endorsed Putnam)
Richard Corcoran, speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (endorsed Putnam)
John Delaney, former mayor of Jacksonville
Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and candidate for president in 2008 and in 2016
Francis Rooney, U.S. representative
Marco Rubio, U.S. senator from Florida and candidate for president in 2016
Will Weatherford, former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
Endorsements
Ron DeSantis
Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States
Adam Putnam
Lincoln Díaz-Balart, former U.S. representative (FL-21)
Steve Southerland, former U.S. representative (FL-2)
Pam Bondi, attorney general of Florida
Richard Corcoran, state representative (District 37); speaker of the Florida House
George Gainer
Allan Bense, former House speaker
Jay Trumbull
Paul Blackman, Highlands County
Chad Chronister, Hillsborough County
Bob Gualtieri, Pinellas County
Grady Judd, Polk County
Tom Knight, Sarasota County
Arnold Lanier, Hardee County
Al Nienhuis, Hernando County
Chris Nocco, Pasco County
Rick Wells, Manatee County
Associated Builders and Contractors
Associated Industries of Florida
Florida Chamber of Commerce
Florida Family Action
Florida Fraternal Order of Police
Florida Police Benevolent Association
Florida Professional Firefighters
Sun-Sentinel
Tampa Bay Times
Bob White
Ron Paul, former U.S. representative from Texas and presidential candidate in 2008 and 2012
Polling
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Democratic primary
Nominee
Andrew Gillum, mayor of Tallahassee
Eliminated in primary
Gwen Graham, former U.S. representative and daughter of former U.S. senator and former governor Bob Graham
Jeff Greene, real estate billionaire and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010
Chris King, entrepreneur and founder of Elevation Financial Group
Philip Levine, former mayor of Miami Beach
Alex Lundmark, real estate agent
John Wetherbee, entrepreneur
Withdrew
Henry E. Davis, judge
Richard Paul Dembinsky, candidate for U.S. representative in 2016 and candidate for governor in 2006
Lucretia Fordyce, activist
Josue Larose, perennial candidate
Brooke Russell Locke Marx, notary
Louis McClanahan, plant operator
Declined
Bob Buckhorn, mayor of Tampa
Kathy Castor, U.S. representative (ran for reelection)
Charlie Crist, U.S. representative, former governor of Florida, and nominee for governor in 2014 (ran for reelection)
Buddy Dyer, mayor of Orlando
Rick Kriseman, mayor of St. Petersburg
John Morgan, lawyer and medical marijuana advocate
Patrick Murphy, former U.S. representative and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2016
Bill Nelson, U.S. senator (ran for reelection)
Jeremy Ring, former Florida state senator (ran for CFO)
Jack Seiler, mayor of Fort Lauderdale
Endorsements
Gwen Graham
Tammy Duckworth, U.S. senator from Illinois
Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. senator from New York
Bob Graham, former governor of Florida and former U.S. senator from Florida, father of Gwen Graham
Kathy Castor, U.S. representative (FL-14)
Jim Davis, former U.S. representative (FL-11), Democratic nominee for governor in 2006
Steny Hoyer, U.S. representative (MD-05), House minority whip
David Jolly, former U.S. representative (Republican) (FL-13)
John Lewis, U.S. representative (GA-05)
Ted Lieu, U.S. representative (CA-35)
Patrick Murphy, former U.S. representative (FL-18), Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2016
Betty Castor, former Florida commissioner of education, former president of the University of South Florida, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2004
Howard Dean, 79th governor of Vermont, Democratic candidate for president in 2004
Alex Sink, former Florida chief financial officer, Democratic nominee for governor in 2010
Lori Berman, state senator (D-Lantana)
Karen Castor Dentel, former state representative (D-Maitland)
John Cortes, state representative (D-Kissimmee)
Tracie Davis, state representative (D-Jacksonville)
Ben Diamond, state representative (D-St. Petersburg)
Dwight Dudley, former state representative (D-St. Petersburg)
Katie Edwards, state representative (D-Plantation)
Kristin Jacobs, state representative (D-Coconut Creek)
Evan Jenne, state representative (D-Hollywood)
Arthenia Joyner, former state senator (D-Tampa)
Amy Mercado, state representative (D-Orlando)
Jon L. Mills, former state representative (D-Gainesville), former State House speaker
Jared Moskowitz, state representative (D-Coral Springs)
Mark Pafford, former state representative (D-West Palm Beach), former State House minority leader
Darryl Rouson, state senator (D-St. Petersburg)
David Silvers, state representative (D-West Palm Beach)
Kelly Skidmore, former state representative (D-Boca Raton)
Emily Slosberg, state representative (D-Boca Raton)
Richard Stark, state representative (D-Weston)
Vic Torres, state senator (D-Orlando)
Barbara Watson, state representative (D-Miami Gardens)
Clovis Watson Jr., state representative (D-Gainesville)
Matt Willhite, state representative (D-Wellington)
Shannon Blankenship, Duval County Soil and Water Conservation District chair
Skip Campbell, mayor of Coral Springs
John Dailey, Leon County commissioner
Garrett Dennis, Jacksonville city councilman
Kristin Dozier, Leon County commissioner
Pat Frank, Hillsborough County clerk of courts
Tabitha Frazier, Leon County Soil and Water Conservation district supervisor
Shirley Freeman, former mayor of Monroe County
Jake Godbold, former mayor of Jacksonville
Pegeen Hanrahan, former mayor of Gainesville
Tommy Hazouri, Jacksonville city councilman, former mayor of Jacksonville
Warren Jones, Duval County School Board member
Cindy Lerner, former mayor of Pinecrest
Shanon Matiero, former City Commissioner of West Palm Beach
Melissa McKinlay, mayor of Palm Beach County
Barry Moss, Pompano Beach city commissioner
Jeri Muoio, mayor of West Palm Beach
Karl Nurse, former St. Petersburg city councilman
Frank Ortis, mayor of Pembroke Pines
Darden Rice, St. Petersburg city council chair
Nan Rich, Broward County commissioner, Democratic candidate for governor in 2014
Katy Sorenson, former Miami-Dade County commissioner
Mike Suarez, Tampa city councilman
Matt Surrency, mayor of Hawthorne
Dean Trantalis, mayor of Fort Lauderdale
Gil Ziffer, Tallahassee city commissioner
Jimmy Buffett, musician
Alan Clendenin, DNC member, former Florida Democratic Party vice chair
Wendy Davis, former Texas state senator, Democratic nominee for governor of Texas in 2014
Manley Fuller, president of the Florida Wildlife Federation
Alma Gonzalez, DNC member, former Florida Democratic Party treasurer
EMILY's List
The Everglades Trust
Florida Education Association
Florida Police Benevolent Association
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Ruth's List
United Steelworkers
The Palm Beach Post
Tampa Bay Times
Jeff Greene
Philip Levine
Ed Rendell, 45th governor of Pennsylvania
Keith Fitzgerald, former state representative (D-Sarasota), Democratic nominee for U.S. House in 2012
John Elizabeth Alemán, Miami Beach city commissioner
Andy Amoroso, vice mayor of Lake Worth
Ricky Arriola, Miami Beach city commissioner
Carmen Yulín Cruz, mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Oliver Gilbert, mayor of Miami Gardens
Justin Katz, Boynton Beach city commissioner
Ken Keechl, former Broward County commissioner
Alex Penelas, former mayor of Miami-Dade County
Robert Shelley, Aventura city commissioner
Glenn Singer, mayor of Golden Beach
Micky Steinberg, Miami Beach city commissioner
Enid Weisman, mayor of Aventura
Ray Allen, former NBA player
Shaquille O'Neal, former NBA player, sports analyst
Miami Herald
Independent and third party candidates
Reform Party
Declared
Darcy Richardson, author and candidate for president in 2012
Libertarian Party
Withdrawn
Riquet Caballero, banker and Afro-Cuban activist (running for state representative)
Randy Wiseman, former chair of the Lake County School Board, candidate for state representative in 2004, and candidate for mayor of Mount Dora in 2013
Constitution party
Withdrawn
Daniel P. Zutler, businessman and candidate for president in 2016
Independents
Declared
Ryan Christopher Foley, former emergency medical technician
Kyle "KC" Gibson, pastor
Bruce Stanley, environmental activist
Declined
Grant Hill, former professional basketball player
John Morgan, lawyer and medical marijuana advocate
Ellen Marie Wilds, JPO supervisor (became Kyle "KC" Gibson's running mate)
Endorsements
Darcy Richardson (Reform Party)
Nancy Argenziano, former Florida state senator and public service commissioner
Randy Wiseman, former Republican chair of the Lake County School Board
John Morgan (declined)
Snoop Dogg, rapper and actor
Roger Stone, political activist and consultant
General election
Debates
First debate
The first debate, moderated by CNN's Jake Tapper, was hosted on October 21, 2018, at WEDU, Tampa, Florida. It was an hour long debate featuring topics like climate change, minimum wage, health care, gun control, the NRA, DeSantis's "monkey up" comment and President Donald Trump being a role model for children.
This debate was held a day before early voting started in Florida on October 22, 2018.
Second debate
The second debate occurred on October 24, 2018, and was hosted in Weston, Florida. It was moderated by Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association.
Endorsements
Andrew Gillum (D)
Joe Biden, 47th vice president of the United States
Julian Castro, 16th U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Eric Holder, 82nd United States attorney general
Valerie Jarrett, former director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs
Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States
Cory Booker, U.S. senator (D-NJ)
Bob Graham, former U.S. senator (D-FL) and former governor of Florida
Kamala Harris, U.S. senator (D-CA)
Jeff Merkley, U.S. senator (D-OR)
Chris Murphy, U.S. senator (D-CT)
Bill Nelson, U.S. senator (D-FL)
Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator (I-VT)
Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator (D-MA)
Kathy Castor, U.S. representative (FL-14)
Charlie Crist, U.S. representative (FL-13) and former Republican governor of Florida
Ted Deutch, U.S. representative (FL-22)
Gwen Graham, former U.S. representative (FL-2) and former candidate
Luis Gutiérrez, U.S. representative (IL-04)
Alcee Hastings, U.S. representative (FL-20)
David Jolly, former U.S. representative (Republican) (FL-13)
Ro Khanna, U.S. representative (CA-17)
Al Lawson, U.S. representative (FL-5)
John Lewis, U.S. representative (GA-5)
Patrick Murphy, former U.S. representative (FL-18)
Stephanie Murphy, U.S. representative (FL-7)
Adam Schiff, U.S. representative (CA-28)
Darren Soto, U.S. representative (FL-9)
Nydia Velázquez, U.S. representative (NY-7)
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, U.S. representative (FL-23)