Ron DeSantis is barred from running for Florida governor in 2026 because he will have completed two consecutive four-year terms by the time his current term ends in January 2027, making him constitutionally ineligible under Florida’s gubernatorial term-limit law.
Florida’s constitution limits governors to two consecutive terms in office. This restriction stems from the 1992 “Eight is Enough” constitutional amendment, which Florida voters approved with 77 percent of the vote. The amendment was a citizens’ initiative that imposed term limits not only on governors but also on state Cabinet officers and legislators.
DeSantis was first elected governor in 2018 and began his term on January 8, 2019. He was reelected by a significant margin in 2022. Once his second term concludes in January 2027, he becomes permanently ineligible to seek the office again under state law—a restriction that applies to all Florida governors equally.
This term-limit rule is not unique to DeSantis. Previous Florida governors Jeb Bush (1999–2007) and Rick Scott (2011–2019) both served two consecutive terms and faced the same constitutional barrier to a third term. Bush left office after eight years as required; Scott later pursued elected office in the U.S. Senate, eventually winning a seat in 2018.
DeSantis is one of 15 incumbent governors nationally who are term-limited and cannot seek reelection in 2026, according to state election data. Of those, nine are Republicans and six are Democrats. This creates a significant number of open-seat gubernatorial races across the country in the 2026 election cycle.
The Florida Republican primary held on August 19, 2026, resulted in U.S. Representative Byron Donalds winning the GOP nomination for governor. Donalds will face Democrat Kristen Jolly in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Sources
- Ballotpedia — confirmed Florida’s two-consecutive-term gubernatorial limit and the 1992 “Eight is Enough” amendment approval
- Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee.com — reported DeSantis is term-limited and will leave office January 5, 2027, and cited the 77 percent voter approval of the 1992 amendment
- Fox 13 News — confirmed that DeSantis has served two terms and cannot run for a third because of term limits
- MultiState Elections — verified that 15 incumbent governors are term-limited and cannot seek reelection in 2026
- Wikipedia / Governor of Florida — documented that Jeb Bush (1999–2007) and Rick Scott (2011–2019) each served two consecutive terms
- ALREADY_RETRIEVED (internal pipeline) — confirmed Byron Donalds won Florida Republican primary for governor on August 19, 2026
