Florida primaries to replace DeSantis and fill Rubio Senate term
Eleven Republicans and six Democrats compete for governor as redrawn districts reshape House races
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Florida primaries to replace DeSantis and fill Rubio Senate term
Photograph: Washington Top News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Florida holds primaries on 20 August 2026 for governor, U.S. Senate, and all congressional seats under a new district map.
- Eleven Republicans and six Democrats are running to succeed term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis.
- The redrawn congressional map eliminates four Democratic-leaning districts, forcing incumbents into Republican-friendly races.
- Republican U.S. Senator Ashley Moody faces minimal opposition for her party’s nomination.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 13 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
57/100
Craft
55/100
Hype
15/100
13 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 13 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Florida voters will select party nominees on 20 August 2026 to replace term-limited Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and to complete the remainder of Marco Rubio’s unexpired U.S. Senate term. The state will also hold its first congressional primaries since adopting a redrawn district map in May 2026, which was designed to boost Republican candidates in the November general election.
Eleven candidates are competing for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, including Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, U.S. Representative Byron Donalds, former investment firm CEO James Fishback, and former state House Speaker Paul Renner. Donalds, who has former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, holds a significant fundraising lead. Collins, a close ally of DeSantis, has positioned himself as the candidate to “protect the DeSantis legacy.” DeSantis has not endorsed any candidate in the primary.
Six Democrats are running for governor, including former Republican U.S. Representative David Jolly, state Representative Dotie Joseph, and former high school math teacher Dayna Marie Foster. Jolly, who switched parties in 2025, leads the Democratic field in fundraising. Florida Democrats have not won a gubernatorial election in over 30 years, and DeSantis was reelected in 2022 by a 19-point margin.
In the U.S. Senate race, Republican Senator Ashley Moody faces minimal opposition for her party’s nomination. Moody was appointed by DeSantis in January 2025 to fill Rubio’s vacant seat. Her Democratic opponent in November will be either state Representative Angie Nixon or retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Alex Vindman, a key witness in Trump’s first impeachment.
The new congressional map eliminates four districts currently or most recently represented by Democrats. Democratic incumbents Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, and Jared Moskowitz are running for reelection in newly drawn Republican-friendly districts. In South Florida, the map reduces the number of Democratic districts from five to three. Former U.S. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is challenging incumbent Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the Democratic primary for the redrawn 20th District, which is no longer a majority-Black district.
What the coverage left out
None of the digests from the right-rated outlet mentioned the fundraising leads held by Byron Donalds in the Republican gubernatorial primary or David Jolly in the Democratic primary. The right-rated digest also omitted the names of Democratic candidates other than Jolly, and did not report on the challenges faced by Democratic incumbents in the redrawn congressional districts.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 17 Aug 2026, 15:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
7 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports, all of which carried the Associated Press’s full article, led on the competitive Democratic gubernatorial primary and the party’s long losing streak in statewide elections. They noted the rivalry between moderate and progressive candidates, and highlighted the backgrounds of David Jolly, a former Republican, and Dotie Joseph, a Black state lawmaker who opposed the redistricting plans. The reports also emphasised the impact of the redrawn congressional map on Democratic incumbents, including the challenges faced by Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, and Jared Moskowitz in Republican-friendly districts.
- The Associated Press report, published by outlets including the Seattle Times and the Hamilton Spectator, described Florida Democrats as “beleaguered” and in “electoral doldrums.” It quoted DeSantis’s 2022 reelection margin of 19 points and noted that a Democrat last won the governorship more than 30 years ago. The report also highlighted Alex Vindman’s role in Trump’s first impeachment and his brother’s election to Congress in 2024.
Centre
5 rated outlets
- The centre-rated digests, from outlets including WTOP and the Winnipeg Free Press, led on the gubernatorial and Senate primaries, as well as the state’s first congressional primaries under the new district map. WTOP’s full report noted the rivalry between DeSantis and Trump as a defining feature of the Republican gubernatorial primary, and described the Democratic field as competing to guide the party “out of their electoral doldrums.” The report also highlighted the minimal opposition faced by Senator Ashley Moody in her primary.
- The centre-rated reports carried the same details about the redrawn congressional map as the left-rated reports, including the elimination of four Democratic-leaning districts and the challenges faced by Democratic incumbents. WTOP’s report quoted DeSantis’s description of Jay Collins as “the Chuck Norris of Florida politics” and noted that DeSantis had not endorsed a candidate in the primary.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The right-rated digest from VINnews led on the gubernatorial and Senate primaries, as well as the state’s first congressional primaries under the new district map. The digest did not include details about the Democratic gubernatorial primary or the party’s electoral struggles. It also did not mention the backgrounds of Democratic candidates such as David Jolly or Alex Vindman, or the impact of the redrawn map on Democratic incumbents.
Read it at the source
13 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
7- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida’s state primary (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida’s state primary (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida’s state primary (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- What to expect in Florida’s state primary (opens NBC Miami in a new tab)
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida’s state primary (opens WellandTribune.ca in a new tab)
WellandTribune.ca — is WellandTribune.ca biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida’s state primary (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record — is The Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida’s state primary (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
5- What to expect in Florida's state primary (opens WESH in a new tab)
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida’s state primary (opens Washington Top News in a new tab)
Washington Top News — is Washington Top News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida’s state primary (opens Bozeman Daily Chronicle in a new tab)
Bozeman Daily Chronicle — is Bozeman Daily Chronicle biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida’s state primary (opens WKMG in a new tab)
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida’s state primary (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
1Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Florida primaries to replace DeSantis and fill Rubio Senate term?
- Of the 13 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 54% are rated left, 38% are rated centre, 8% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Florida primaries to replace DeSantis and fill Rubio Senate term left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 13 rated outlets on this story, 54% are rated left, 38% are rated centre, 8% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Florida primaries to replace DeSantis and fill Rubio Senate term biased?
- Florida primaries to replace DeSantis and fill Rubio Senate term is one event reported by 13 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Florida primaries to replace DeSantis and fill Rubio Senate term?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Florida primaries to replace DeSantis and fill Rubio Senate term?
- 13 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- How many candidates are running for Florida governor?
- Eleven Republicans and six Democrats are competing for the gubernatorial nomination in Florida’s 20 August 2026 primary. The Republican field includes Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins and U.S. Representative Byron Donalds, while the Democratic field is led by former Republican U.S. Representative David Jolly.
- What is the impact of Florida’s new congressional map?
- Florida’s redrawn congressional map, adopted in May 2026, eliminates four districts currently or most recently represented by Democrats. This forces Democratic incumbents like Kathy Castor and Darren Soto into Republican-friendly districts, increasing the likelihood of Republican gains in November.
- Who is running for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat?
- Republican Senator Ashley Moody is running for her party’s nomination with minimal opposition. Her Democratic opponent in November will be either state Representative Angie Nixon or retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Alex Vindman, a key witness in Donald Trump’s first impeachment.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
