Polling Average
50%40%30%20%10%0%
5.7%
41.0%
18.9%
Republican
Jay Collins
Republican
Jay Collins
Florida Republican Senate nominee?
$89.3K
AUG 19, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleLieutenant Governor
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyConservative Republican
Age50 years old (Apr 28, 1976)
GenderMale
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LocationFlorida
BackgroundPolitician
EducationAmerican Military University — B.S. (health sciences and pre-medicine)
Notable personal detailsJarrid “Jay” Collins is the 21st lieutenant governor of Florida, assuming office on 2025-08-12 under Gov. Ron DeSantis. A Republican, he previously represented Florida Senate District 14 from 2022-11-08 to 2025-08-12. He is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) veteran and has worked as an executive with the nonprofit Operation BBQ Relief. Collins was born in Scobey, Montana, and later moved to Florida.
SourcesShowHide
flgov.comen.wikipedia.orgapnews.comwusf.orges.wikipedia.orgflsenate.govaxios.commiamiherald.comcbsnews.comcubaheadlines.combaynews9.commysuncoast.comwlrn.orgpatch.comhouse.ga.govarxiv.orgciteseerx.ist.psu.edunews4jax.comnewspressnow.comjayforflorida.comclickorlando.comfloridaphoenix.comfloridianpress.comlifesitenews.comcltampa.comfloridapolitics.comwcjb.comguns.comflvoicenews.comwptv.compolitico.comnoticias.foxnews.comstatic.votesmart.orgstatic.foxnews.combusiness.linkedin.comabout.twitter.comfec.govballotready.orgvotesmart.orgsenate.govbean.house.govaging.senate.govjustfacts.votesmart.orgfinance.senate.govcongress.govrickscott.senate.govrepublicans-science.house.govgovinfo.govcollins.senate.govhelp.senate.govnga.orgdemocrats-science.house.govgrassley.senate.gov
Positions
LiberalConservative
Economy & Taxes
Jay Collins supports tax relief and pro-business tax changes, emphasizing property tax relief and measures intended to lower taxes for businesses. He has defended proposals to eliminate or reduce property taxes and highlighted the importance of improving Florida’s business climate and economy.
Healthcare
Jay Collins has highlighted parental rights, vaccine transparency/choice, and related public-health messaging in his public role as Florida lieutenant governor and on the campaign trail, but I did not find clear policy statements on major healthcare-system proposals (e.g., Medicaid expansion, ACA, Medicare for All, or specific market-based reforms).
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Immigration & Border
Jay Collins supports aggressive immigration enforcement and coordinated state-federal operations to identify, detain, and deport undocumented immigrants. He has traveled to assist in extradition of an undocumented truck driver and has promoted and participated in large-scale enforcement operations that led to hundreds of deportations. Collins has pledged to continue building on Governor DeSantis’s enforcement-focused immigration agenda in office and in campaign activity.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Jay Collins describes himself as pro-life, has opposed Florida Amendment 4 which would have enshrined broad abortion rights, and has supported Florida’s heartbeat/6‑week restrictions while backing pro-life policies. His public statements emphasize restricting abortion access and protecting unborn children.
Climate & Energy
Jay Collins sponsored legislation that removes references to greenhouse gas reduction from state energy law, bans certain offshore wind development, advances protections for natural gas appliances, and prioritizes grid reliability and expanded use of nuclear and hydrogen technologies. His legislative actions emphasize protecting fossil-fuel infrastructure and limiting wind development while studying advanced nuclear and hydrogen options.
Public Safety & Guns
Jay Collins has sponsored and publicly promoted legislation that removes concealed-carry permitting requirements (permitless or “constitutional” carry) and has backed efforts to lower the minimum firearm purchase age to 18. He frames these actions as restoring Second Amendment rights and has supported rollbacks of post-Parkland gun restrictions while emphasizing support for law enforcement and public safety measures paired with those changes.
News
AINews Summary
Last updatedMay 23, 2026
Jay Collins is still in the Florida governor race, and he has pushed back on rumors that he might drop out. But recent polling shows him far behind Byron Donalds, who leads the Republican field by a wide margin and has a big fundraising and endorsement advantage. Collins remains a minor contender for now, with little sign of momentum in the latest reports.
flgov.com+52
Articles
WEWashington Examiner1 month ago
Jay Collins denies '100% bulls***' rumor of exiting race for Florida governor
Negative
NNewsmax19 days ago
Rep. Donalds Surges Ahead in Fla. GOP Governor Race
Neutral
NNewsweek3 months ago
Democrats’ Chances of Defeating Republicans To Flip Florida: New Poll
Positive
NYNew York Magazine3 months ago
The Supreme Court Could Still Tilt the Midterms to the GOP
Positive
Polls
Florida Republican Governor nominee?
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Endorsements
- Fundraising