State Sen. Jason Pizzo to run for Florida governor as no-party-affiliated candidate
Pizzo, of Sunny Isles Beach, told CBS News Miami on May 9 he'll be a candidate. As an NPA candidate, he'll forgo a primary campaign and be on the November 2026 ballot.
'We need somebody who can balance a checkbook, who understands finance, not just economic theory; who's concerned about infrastructure and resiliency and the environment and education and all of these things that are top of mind for people that are just trying to keep a roof over their head, keep their kids clothed and educated," Pizzo said.
A former assistant state attorney for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, the 48-year-old Pizzo was first elected to the Senate in 2018. He was reelected in 2022 and became the Senate Democratic leader after the 2024 election. He'll be term-limited next year.
But Pizzo was more centrist than the rest of his caucus and on April 24 announced he was stepping down as Democratic leader and leaving the party, declaring the Florida Democratic Party 'dead.' That remark was ripped by Democrats who insisted the party still has a pulse in the Sunshine State.
'Jason's failure to build support within our party for a gubernatorial run has led to this final embarrassing temper tantrum,' Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said after Pizzo left the party. 'I'd be lying if I said I'm sad to see him go, but I wish him the best of luck in the political wilderness he's created for himself.'
But Democrats have won just two Cabinet races since 1998 and have been shut out of power at the state level since 1999. Meanwhile, Florida is shedding its 'swing state' label as Republicans have not only won in recent years, but padded the score. DeSantis, for instance, won reelection in 2022 by nearly 20 points.
Also, Republicans have racked up a more than 1.2 million active voter registration advantage over Democrats, who had held the lead over the GOP for decades.
Pizzo is the scion of a real estate mogul: He inherited a fortune from his father, Kenneth Pizzo Sr. His most recent financial disclosure form showed his net worth at $59 million. And Pizzo said he's prepared to put $25 million into his own campaign.
Other major candidates include former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, an anti-Trump Republican who left the GOP and announced he was becoming a Democrat on April 24, the same day Pizzo left the party.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples is the biggest Republican candidate to get in the race so far. He raised $11.6 million in about a month, according to state campaign finance records, after jumping into the race in February.
Donalds has the endorsement of President Donald Trump and is the presumed front-runner to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis, who also is term-limited in 2026.
DeSantis, though, hasn't endorsed Donalds and has been critical of him while floating the possibility that his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis, could get in the race.
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Jason Pizzo announces bid for governor after leaving Democratic Party
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