Jay Collins Raises Nearly $1.75 Million in First Quarter, But One Donor Accounts for More Than Half
Why It Matters
Florida’s 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary is shaping up as a significant test of whether grassroots credibility and military credentials can compete against establishment money and a presidential endorsement. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins’ first-quarter fundraising report offers an early signal about the durability of his campaign against a well-funded front-runner.
The race will determine who leads Florida — a state that has become a flagship for conservative governance under Gov. Ron DeSantis — making the outcome closely watched by national Republican leaders and donors alike.
What Happened
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, the Tampa Republican and former Green Beret appointed to his current role by Gov. Ron DeSantis, reported raising more than $1.6 million to his Quiet Professionals FL political committee and more than $143,000 to his campaign account during the first quarter of 2026. The combined total came in just under $1.75 million.
However, a single donor was responsible for $1 million of the committee’s collections. United Again, LLC — described as a vehicle for political donations associated with Body Armor CEO Michael Repole — contributed the bulk of the haul. Repole has previously backed DeSantis’ campaigns enthusiastically.
Collins himself downplayed expectations ahead of the report’s release, acknowledging that the “lobby corps” had not backed him and preferred U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the Donald Trump-endorsed candidate in the race. The first-quarter figures, filed Friday, reflect that assessment.
By the Numbers
$1.6 million+ — Raised by Collins to his Quiet Professionals FL political committee in Q1 2026.
$143,000+ — Raised by Collins to his official campaign account over the same period.
$1 million — The portion of committee fundraising attributable to a single donor, United Again, LLC.
$22 million — The amount raised by Byron Donalds over the same first quarter, dwarfing Collins’ total.
40%–50% — The range in which Donalds consistently polls statewide, while Collins remains in single digits.
Zoom Out
The fundraising gap between Collins and Donalds mirrors a broader national pattern in which candidates endorsed by President Donald Trump — who took office on January 20, 2025 — tend to consolidate major donor networks and lobbying support rapidly, leaving rivals to compete on the margins.
Florida’s Republican primary landscape has grown increasingly competitive as multiple candidates seek to inherit the mantle of DeSantis-era governance. Other Republican primary contests are also heating up at the state legislative level, reflecting a broader reshuffling within the Florida GOP. Meanwhile, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner has made property tax relief a central theme in his own statewide campaign tour, signaling the policy priorities that Florida Republican voters are expected to weigh heavily in 2026.
Collins has attributed his slow polling numbers in part to what he calls “suppression polling,” though Donalds’ consistent statewide support between 40% and 50% suggests the front-runner’s lead is not an artifact of methodology.
What’s Next
Collins faces mounting pressure to demonstrate broader fundraising support beyond a single major donor if he hopes to remain competitive heading into the later stages of the primary. DeSantis has not endorsed Collins despite having previously called him the “Chuck Norris of Florida politics,” and reporters have continued to press the lieutenant governor on the absence of that backing.
Collins has stated publicly that he needs to prove himself worthy of a DeSantis endorsement — but with single-digit poll numbers, a massive fundraising deficit against Donalds, and small crowd sizes on his statewide barnstorming tour, the window to make that case is narrowing. Future quarterly fundraising reports will serve as key benchmarks for whether Collins can broaden his donor base and close the gap against the Trump-backed front-runner.