ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, who filed to run for governor last week, has officially announced his candidacy ahead of a Thursday night rally.
The 66-year-old Demings walked out to the theme for the movie “Shaft” at his announcement rally, joking that he would be a “modern John Shaft” if elected.
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More seriously, though, Demings used his speech to tap into the frustrations about the cost-of-living crisis in the state, and the endless political acrimony, saying residents needed a change from the current crop of state and federal politicians.
“It’s a vote for normalcy,” Demings said.
You can watch the full speech in the video below.
“If we want to bring about the change that you want to see, it starts with believing that together we can change the imbalance of political power here within our state, within our nation’s capital, to get back to some sense of normalcy and bipartisanship in government,“ Demings said. ”If you’re tired of the performance politicians who care more about themselves than the people, let’s vote them out. 2026 is that year, my campaign will focus on giving Floridians a chance to vote for a governor that will focus on making our great state a great place for all of us to thrive and dream."
Demings also took aim at Gov. DeSantis, saying people were “tired of being treated like we have a dictator leading Florida,” and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, who has accused Orange County, under Demings’ leadership, of overcharging county taxpayers through his DOGE audit.
"This week, the chief financial officer of Florida and a few of his Republican friends called me woke," Demings said. “I don’t know what they mean by woke, but after nearly four and a half decades of dedicated, unblemished public service, they woke me up.”
An uphill battle
Demings is well-known in Central Florida, but he must convince voters across the entire state that he is the right person for the job. If successful, he would be the first Democrat to win Florida’s governor’s mansion in the 21st century.
“Instead of asking the question, ‘What can Demings do to win?’ you have to think about it more as what are the things that have to happen in order to make Demings competitive? I think that list might be getting longer and longer for the Democrats,” said University of Central Florida political science professor John Hanley.
[WATCH BELOW: Demings on running for governor, what Democrats have to do to win Florida]
Hanley described Demings’ path as a difficult uphill battle. Despite Demings’ credentials as a former Orange County sheriff, county director of public safety and two-term mayor, Hanley said Florida’s political landscape poses a significant challenge.
“He’s kind of in the wrong party in the wrong state,” Hanley said. “In another state, in a different political landscape, he would be a top contender and probably already hold statewide office. But in Florida, it’s just become so difficult for someone with that ‘D’ next to their name to make it very far.”
If Demings runs, he will join former GOP Congressman David Jolly, who spoke to News 6 in June about running as a Democrat. Jolly said his goal is to convince voters to reconsider their traditional voting patterns.
On the Republican side, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and Trump-backed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds are both running. Current Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is also considering a bid.
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Despite recent Democratic wins across the U.S., Hanley believes the party will likely not focus significant efforts on the Sunshine State.
“There might be some encouragement for Democrats who are going to run in 2026,” Hanley said. “But the problem for Florida Democrats is that the state has shifted in a way that makes other states more competitive and more desirable for Democrats relative to Florida.”
Hanley also pointed out that Demings’ wife, Val Demings, struggled in her 2022 U.S. Senate campaign against Marco Rubio. He suggested that history could repeat itself for the mayor.