ORLANDO, Fla. – Last week, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings teased a big announcement coming on Thursday.
But the spoiler came on Monday: Demings is officially running for Florida governor next year.
The Florida Division of Elections website shows Demings as an active candidate who filed on Friday. Demings will run as a Democrat.
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As News 6 reported last week, Demings is planning a Thursday evening rally to “share an important announcement and outline our vision for the future.”
Speculation that Demings was running for governor had been swirling for the last few months as he sparred in news conferences with Gov. DeSantis and CFO Blaise Ingoglia over county government spending and the DOGE audit.
[WATCH: DOGE day in Orange County as Florida team descends for audit]
In September, amid the back and forth with Ingoglia, Demings made perhaps his first public hint.
“I’m not saying I’m not going to run. Given all these things that have been happening? I might just do that,” he said.
In speaking to News 6 earlier this month, Demings was coy again.
“I’ll make an announcement soon about the decision I made, and I’ll leave it at that,” he said.
Demings was elected as the first African American mayor in December 2018 and reelected in 2022. Before that, he served as Orange County sheriff, and county director of public safety.
Demings will run against Republican congressman-turned Democrat David Jolly in a Democratic primary.
Republican candidates include the Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.
Meanwhile, five candidates have filed to run in 2026 to replace Demings as Orange County mayor: Stephanie Murphy, the former congresswoman from Winter Park, Orange County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell, District 3 County Commissioner Mayra Uribe, tech businessman Chris Messina and Randy Fust Jr.
The Orange County mayoral race is a nonpartisan race.