State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis has set his sights on the governor’s mansion.
“I’d love to be governor one day,” Patronis said during an appearance on The News Service of Florida’s “Deeper Dive With Dara Kam” podcast that will be released Sunday. “My wife wants me to do it. I spent my whole life being a public servant. I love fixing people’s problems.”
Patronis has often been included in a list of potential candidates to run in 2026 to replace the term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Patronis said there is still “a lot of time,” but that, “I tell people all the time, you know, whenever I make my mind up to do something, you know, nobody will outwork me.”
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The Panama City Republican spent eight years in the Florida House before being appointed by former Gov. Rick Scott to the Public Service Commission in 2015. Two years later, Scott appointed Patronis to the Cabinet office of chief financial officer, which Patronis retained in two elections.
No prominent candidates have opened campaign accounts for the governor’s race, but Republican names often mentioned include First Lady Casey DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, and U.S. House members Matt Gaetz, Byron Donalds and Michael Waltz.
Donalds and Waltz have publicly expressed interest.
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Last month, Gov. DeSantis said there is “zero” chance his wife will run in 2026. But a Florida Atlantic University poll released Wednesday showed the first lady preferred by 43 percent of GOP voters, followed by Donalds at 19 percent. Patronis was listed in an FAU news release as trailing “further behind.”
Patronis makes appearances throughout the state and is highly active on social media, often supporting former President Donald Trump and targeting federal agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service.
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