Jay Collins believes Governor Ron DeSantis will eventually endorse him in the race to succeed DeSantis as Florida's chief executive. When asked on Fox News Radio whether he wanted to see the governor formally back his appointed lieutenant governor, Collins indicated it's inevitable. "The Governor and I are in a great space. I know where he is, and when he decides to jump into this race, you'll have no doubt that he's in," Collins said. "When he's ready, I'm sure he'll make the appropriate decision."
Collins' campaign is facing significant headwinds in the Republican primary. He trails front-runner Byron Donalds by more than 44 points in average polling. Donalds has built a substantial financial advantage, holding $65 million in campaign funds according to the most recent reports. Collins, by comparison, has roughly $5.5 million on hand after raising less than $68,000 between his campaign account and affiliated committee in a recent period while spending more than $590,000, including $140,000 spent on fundraising consulting.
Collins attempted to draw parallels between his current polling position and DeSantis' performance eight years earlier. He pointed out that DeSantis won the 2018 gubernatorial race against Adam Putnam and cited Rick Scott's 2010 victory over Bill McCollum as evidence that Floridians often reject the apparent frontrunner. However, the comparison is problematic. Collins currently averages 6.5 percent in polls, with results ranging from 1 to 15 percent in surveys conducted since October. In contrast, DeSantis polled at 15 percent in a Florida Chamber survey and 21 percent in an NBC News/Marist survey in 2018. Like Donalds, DeSantis received an endorsement from President Donald Trump, a significant political advantage Collins does not currently possess. Scott, unlike Collins, possessed independent wealth that allowed him to fund his campaign liberally, a crucial difference in both races.
Collins' path to the nomination appears increasingly difficult without a dramatic shift in either his polling or fundraising. The gap between his resources and Donalds' financial capacity continues to widen, and he remains a distant third in most matchups. Collins is betting that DeSantis' endorsement could change the dynamics of the race, much as Trump's backing helped both DeSantis and Donalds in their respective campaigns. For now, the lieutenant governor is publicly expressing confidence that the governor's support will materialize when the time is right.