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Jay Collins

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Republican

Jay Collins

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Florida Republican Governor nominee?

$9.2M

AUG 19, 2026

Primary Election

Party selects its nominee.

Overview

Current roleLieutenant Governor

PartyRepublican

Political ideologyConservative Republican

Age50 years old (Apr 28, 1976)

GenderMale

LocationFlorida

BackgroundPolitician

EducationAmerican Military University (B.S.)

Notable personal detailsJay Collins (birth name Jarrid Collins) is a Republican politician and U.S. Army veteran who has served as Florida’s 21st lieutenant governor since 2025. He previously served in the Florida Senate representing District 14 (Tampa/Hillsborough County area) after being elected in 2022 and resigning upon his lieutenant governor appointment. He served more than two decades in the U.S. Army, including in U.S. Army Special Forces.

SourcesShow

flgov.com flsenate.gov apnews.com jayforflorida.com wikidata.org en.wikipedia.org wusf.org change.org axios.com ciclt.net multistate.us miamiherald.com baynews9.com politifact.com racca-florida.org okaloosa-soe.s3.amazonaws.com news4jax.com newspressnow.com clickorlando.com floridaphoenix.com floridianpress.com lifesitenews.com cltampa.com floridapolitics.com wcjb.com guns.com flvoicenews.com wptv.com politico.com x.com miamitimesonline.com pnj.com wlrn.org subscriber.politicopro.com mysuncoast.com tallahassee.com wflx.com instagram.com youtube.com ballotready.org fec.gov es.wikipedia.org bean.house.gov senate.gov aging.senate.gov intelligence.senate.gov democrats-science.house.gov democrats-energycommerce.house.gov congress.gov collins.senate.gov republicans-science.house.gov govinfo.gov warnock.senate.gov nga.org help.senate.gov science.house.gov coons.senate.gov grassley.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).

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 updatedJul 15, 2026

Jay Collins is in the news because he is running in Florida’s 2026 Republican governor primary and the field has now been set for the August 18 vote. Recent reports show him trailing Byron Donalds in early polling, while Collins has tried to sharpen his campaign by attacking Donalds on AI policy. He has also been drawn into growing tensions inside Florida GOP politics, including disputes with Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies. Collins recently said he is staying in the race despite speculation that he might exit.

flgov.com+57

Articles

BNBreitbart News Network1 month ago

Polls

Polling Average

50%40%30%20%10%0%

7.1%

41.2%

18.9%

J. Collins

B. Donalds

C. DeSantis

P. Renner

W. Simpson

C. Burkett

Date (Start - End)	Spread	Collins	Donalds	DeSantis	Renner	Simpson	Burkett
Polling Average	Donalds+34.1	7.1%	41.2%	18.9%	3.2%	3.0%	0.4%
Change ResearchJul 9 - 11	Donalds+23.0	14.0%	37.0%	–	2.0%	–	–
The Tyson GroupJul 8 - 11	Donalds+39.0	9.0%	48.0%	–	4.0%	–	–
David Jay WolfsonJul 2 - 6	Donalds+17.3	20.2%	37.5%	–	2.1%	–	–
The Public Sentiment InstituteJun 29 - 30	Donalds+20.1	12.2%	32.3%	–	6.7%	–	–
The Public Sentiment InstituteJun 8 - 9	Donalds+26.3	11.0%	37.3%	–	3.9%	–	–
Associated Industries of FloridaJun 3 - 7	Donalds+49.0	5.0%	54.0%	–	2.0%	–	–
Change ResearchMay 13 - 16	Donalds+40.0	8.0%	48.0%	–	3.0%	–	–
Change ResearchMay 13 - 16	Donalds+37.0	8.0%	45.0%	–	3.0%	–	–
Fabrizio, Lee & AssociatesApr 26 - 30	Donalds+47.0	7.0%	54.0%	–	2.0%	–	–
Stetson University Center for Public Opinion ResearchMar 25 - Apr 13	Donalds+32.0	6.0%	38.0%	–	7.0%	–	–
Tarrance GroupMar 30 - Apr 2	Donalds+44.0	6.0%	50.0%	–	3.0%	–	–
Emerson CollegeMar 29 - 31	Donalds+39.2	4.3%	43.5%	6.7%	2.0%	–	0.5%
Emerson CollegeMar 29 - 31	Donalds+42.3	4.1%	46.4%	–	2.7%	–	0.3%
The American PromiseFeb 23 - 26	Donalds+40.0	4.0%	44.0%	–	2.0%	–	–
University of North Florida Public Opinion Research LabFeb 16 - 20	Donalds+25.0	3.0%	28.0%	24.0%	0.0%	–	–
University of North Florida Public Opinion Research LabFeb 16 - 20	Donalds+27.0	4.0%	31.0%	–	1.0%	–	–
Targoz Market ResearchFeb 13 - 16	Donalds+18.0	15.0%	33.0%	–	9.0%	–	–
Mason-Dixon Polling & StrategyJan 8 - 13	Donalds+30.0	7.0%	37.0%	–	4.0%	–	–
Fabrizio, Lee & AssociatesJan 4 - 6	Donalds+39.0	6.0%	45.0%	–	3.0%	–	–
Public Opinion StrategiesDec 7 - 11	Donalds+27.0	13.0%	40.0%	–	–	–	–
The American PromiseDec 8 - 9	Donalds+29.0	9.0%	38.0%	–	1.0%	–	–
The American PromiseNov 17 - 19	Donalds+42.0	1.0%	43.0%	–	2.0%	–	–
Victory InsightsNov 11 - 13	Donalds+43.8	1.2%	45.0%	–	2.7%	–	–
St. Pete PollsOct 13 - 15	Donalds+35.5	3.7%	39.2%	–	2.7%	–	–
St. Pete PollsOct 13 - 15	Donalds+40.6	11.5%	52.1%	–	–	–	–
Targoz Market ResearchSep 16 - 18	DeSantis+24.0	2.0%	23.0%	26.0%	7.0%	2.0%	–
The Tyson GroupSep 4 - 5	Donalds+38.0	2.0%	40.0%	–	2.0%	–	–
St. Pete PollsJul 8 - 10	Donalds+41.5	2.1%	43.6%	–	2.9%	4.1%	–

Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne

Fundraising

Jay Collins

Jay Collins

Florida Republican Governor nominee?

Overview

Positions

Economy & Taxes

Healthcare

Immigration & Border

Abortion & Reproductive Rights

Climate & Energy

Public Safety & Guns

News

Jay Collins Accused of Hypocrisy After Attacking Byron Donalds on Pro-AI Stance

Jay Collins denies '100% bulls***' rumor of exiting race for Florida governor

Florida governor race field is finally set

With GOP primary looming, DeSantis-Collins ties fray in Florida

Polls

Endorsements

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Bobby McCallum

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Volusia County Deputies Association

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