At G Ratings, we conducted a statewide survey to measure voter preferences ahead of Florida’s 2026 gubernatorial primary elections. The results show David Jolly holding a commanding lead in the Democratic field, while Byron Donalds emerges as the clear Republican front-runner.

We surveyed 825 registered Florida voters who said they intended to participate in the upcoming election. Fieldwork was conducted from August 11 through August 16, 2026, using self-administered digital questionnaires.

In this report, we present voting intentions in both party primaries, respondents’ political affiliations and the issues Florida voters consider most important.

Republicans represent the largest political group in the sample

When respondents were asked about their political affiliation, Republicans accounted for the largest percentage of the surveyed electorate.

1. Republican: 41.5%
2. Democratic: 35.4%
3. Independent or other: 23.1%

The results show a 6.1-point Republican advantage over Democrats within the sample. Nearly one in four respondents identified as independent or with another political affiliation, highlighting the potential importance of voters outside the two major parties.

David Jolly dominates the Democratic primary

Among Democratic voters, David Jolly leads the gubernatorial primary with 74.2% of voting intentions. His advantage places him far ahead of the remaining candidates included in the survey.

1. David Jolly: 74.2%
2. Dayna Marie Foster: 10.2%
3. Dotie Joseph: 9.2%
4. Other or none: 3.3%
5. Evelyn Castillo-Bach: 3.1%

Jolly holds a 64-point lead over Dayna Marie Foster, his nearest competitor. The findings indicate that he currently has a highly consolidated position among Democratic primary voters.

The combined support for all other named Democratic candidates reaches 22.5%, while 3.3% selected another option or none of the candidates.

Byron Donalds holds a strong lead in the Republican primary

The Republican contest is led by Byron Donalds, who receives 58.4% of voting intentions. Although his advantage is substantial, the Republican field appears more competitive than the Democratic race.

1. Byron Donalds: 58.4%
2. Jay Collins: 19.9%
3. James Fishback: 13.2%
4. Other or none: 4.7%
5. Paul Renner: 3.8%

Donalds leads Jay Collins by 38.5 percentage points. Collins occupies second place, while James Fishback follows in third with 13.2%.

Together, Collins and Fishback receive 33.1%, showing that approximately one-third of surveyed Republican primary voters currently prefer an alternative to the front-runner.

The economy is Florida voters’ leading concern

At G Ratings, we also asked respondents to identify the most important issue facing Florida. The economy ranked first by a wide margin.

1. Economy, including jobs, inflation and taxes: 40.8%
2. Immigration: 16.8%
3. State of democracy: 15.4%
4. Education: 8.7%
5. Healthcare: 6.8%
6. Abortion access: 5.2%
7. Crime: 3.6%
8. Summer heat rise: 1.4%
9. Foreign policy: 1.3%

Economic concerns surpass immigration by 24 percentage points. More than four out of every ten respondents identified jobs, inflation or taxes as Florida’s primary challenge.

Immigration and the state of democracy form a second group of major concerns, with relatively close percentages. Education, healthcare and abortion access occupy the middle of the ranking.

Crime, rising summer temperatures and foreign policy received the lowest percentages among the issues evaluated.

Both primary contests currently have clear front-runners

The Florida 2026 governor primary poll identifies David Jolly and Byron Donalds as the strongest candidates within their respective parties.

Jolly records the most dominant performance, receiving nearly three-quarters of Democratic voting intentions. Donalds also exceeds the majority threshold among Republicans, although his opponents collectively retain a larger share of the vote.

These results represent voter preferences during the August 11-16 fieldwork period. Campaign developments, debates, endorsements and changes in the political environment could influence voter decisions before the primary elections.

Methodology

At G Ratings, we surveyed 825 adults aged 18 and older residing in Florida. Participants confirmed that they were registered voters and intended to participate in the upcoming election.

The sample was structured to reflect the composition of Florida’s electorate. It was balanced using demographic and geographic variables, including gender, age, region, education and ethnicity.

Data collection was completed through the Odysseus technological platform, developed by G Ratings by GobernArte S.C. Odysseus incorporates algorithmic models to maintain a distribution consistent with reference population parameters.

The survey was administered in English through digital questionnaires accessible on mobile devices and computers. Quality controls were applied to validate response consistency and exclude incomplete or atypical interviews.

For a sample of 825 completed questionnaires, the theoretical margin of error is estimated between ±3.5% and ±5%, with a 95% confidence level under a simple random sampling assumption. Because the study used a non-probability design, this range should be interpreted as an approximate statistical reference.

The survey was commissioned, conducted, funded and analyzed by G Ratings exclusively for informational and public opinion research purposes. It was not commissioned or funded by any candidate, political campaign or political party.