Florida Primary Election 2026

Q: When is the Florida primary in 2026?

The Florida 2026 primary election is Tuesday, August 18, 2026. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Florida is a closed-primary state: you must be registered with a party to vote in its primary, and the registration deadline is July 20, 2026.

The Florida primary is Tuesday, August 18, 2026. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Florida is a closed-primary state: you must be registered with a party to vote in its primary, and the registration deadline is July 20, 2026.

What's at stake

Florida decided nominees for a US Senate special election (the remainder of Marco Rubio's term, defended by appointed incumbent Ashley Moody) and an open governorship with Ron DeSantis term-limited. Both are rated Likely R.

Key races and candidates

US Senate special (Republican primary)

Appointed incumbent Moody won decisively with about 80%, defeating three challengers.

Ashley Moody (R)Appointed incumbent; won with about 80%

Chris Gleason (R)Finished second with about 14%

Ernest Rivera (R)Finished third with about 5%

Result (August 18): Appointed incumbent Ashley Moody won the Republican Senate special primary with about 80%, defeating Chris Gleason (14%) and two other challengers (NBC News, CBS News).

US Senate special (Democratic primary)

State Rep. Angie Nixon upset Alex Vindman 56.1% to 43.9% (705,192 votes to 552,774, 99% of precincts reporting, NBC News). Vindman had been the pre-primary front-runner but Nixon, a democratic socialist, pulled off the upset.

Angie Nixon (D)Florida state representative and democratic socialist; won upset primary 56.1% over Vindman (705,192 votes to 552,774)

Alex Vindman (D)Retired Army Lt. Col., impeachment witness; lost primary 43.9% to Nixon (552,774 votes)

Result (August 18): Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon upset pre-primary front-runner Alex Vindman 56.1% to 43.9% (705,192 votes to 552,774, 99% precincts) in the Democratic Senate special primary (CNN, NBC News, Washington Post projection).

Governor (Republican primary)

Trump-endorsed Byron Donalds won with about 48%, defeating Jay Collins (25%), James Fishback (10%), and Paul Renner (9%).

Byron Donalds (R)US Rep, Trump-endorsed; won GOP primary with about 48%

Jay Collins (R)Finished second with about 25%

James Fishback (R)Finished third with about 10%

Paul Renner (R)Florida House Speaker; finished fourth with about 9%

Result (August 18): Trump-endorsed US Rep. Byron Donalds won the Republican gubernatorial primary with about 48%, defeating Jay Collins (25%), James Fishback (10%), and Paul Renner (9%) (NBC News, CBS News projection).

Governor (Democratic primary)

Former Republican congressman David Jolly won with about 61%. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings dropped out in June after a prostate cancer diagnosis and was not on the ballot.

David Jolly (D)Former GOP congressman who switched parties; won Democratic primary with about 61%

Result (August 18): Former Republican congressman David Jolly won the Democratic gubernatorial primary with about 61%. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings had dropped out in June after a prostate cancer diagnosis (NBC News, CBS News projection).

What happens next

Winners advance to the general election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Follow the general-election matchups on our Senate and governor trackers, or see every competitive state on the interactive election map.

All 2026 primary dates and results →