Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings enters Florida governor's race

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Democratic Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has filed papers to run for Florida governor, joining a crowded field of contenders from both sides of the aisle hoping to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Demings, who leads the county that is home to Orlando and its multiple theme park resorts, filed papers to run for Florida's highest office on Friday, according to state elections records.

The former Orange County sheriff learned the ins-and-outs of a statewide race in Florida three years ago when his wife, former U.S. Rep. Val Demings, unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat against Republican Marco Rubio.

If successful, Demings would be the first African American governor of the third most populous U.S. state, though not the first Black gubernatorial nominee on a Florida Democratic ticket. Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum lost to DeSantis in 2018 by one of the narrowest margins in Florida history.

A spokesman for Demings campaign didn't immediately respond to an emailed inquiry on Monday.

Demings leads a county that has become one of the last Democratic holdouts in a state that has becoming increasingly Republican since DeSantis moved into the Governor's Mansion in 2019. Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris won almost 56% of the vote in Orange County, compared to Republican Donald Trump's 56.1% of the vote in Florida.

Besides Demings, 28 other candidates have filed to run for Florida governor, though most are considered long-shots.

Those considered serious contenders include David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who left the party during Trump’s first term and is running as a Democrat; Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who has been endorsed by Trump; and Republican former House speaker Paul Renner.

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