Florida GOP Bars Full Gubernatorial Debate at June 27 Showdown

Overview

• The Republican Party of Florida announced Friday that it will not hold a full gubernatorial debate at the June 27 Sunshine State Showdown because only Byron Donalds met the party’s three qualifying benchmarks.
• RPOF’s criteria require at least 10% in the party’s poll or comparable public polling, more than $10 million raised, and over 10,000 donors, and the party said those standards are reasonable for a large, multi-market state.
• Several GOP figures and candidates criticized the decision as exclusionary, with Gov. Ron DeSantis saying party officials should not control debates and Paul Renner and James Fishback calling the move rigged or disgraceful.
• Lt. Gov. Jay Collins launched a public challenge called “The Collins Callout” and pledged to debate Donalds anywhere, while the party rescinded James Fishback’s invitation to official primary activities for participating in unsanctioned events.
• Donalds’ lead is driven by a Trump endorsement, strong polling and a large fundraising edge, and critics warn the lack of head-to-head testing could leave the eventual nominee less vetted before the Aug. 18 primary and the November general election.