Florida Governor Debate 2026 | PBD Podcast

**Patrick Bet-David** (0:19)
The future looks bright.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:21)
My handshake is better than anything I ever signed, right here.

**Patrick Bet-David** (0:26)
You are a 101?

**Jay Collins** (0:28)
I think I've ever said this before.

**Patrick Bet-David** (0:34)
All right, so welcome to the first official Florida gubernatorial debate. Make some noise, everybody. We got a crowd in the house. Good-looking crowd here. We're gonna have a good time together. I want to properly introduce each individual that I want to bring up, and we'll get right into it. First candidate that we're bringing up is the former Florida House Speaker, Paul Renner. He was the Speaker of Florida House from 2022 to 2024, champion Florida's universal school choice expansion, US. Navy surface warfare officer during the Gulf War, career prosecutor or legislative strategist, widely viewed as one of the principal architects of much of Governor DeSantis' legislative agenda while serving as a speaker. Please make some noise for Speaker Paul Renner.
All right, next, we have Florida Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, 23 years.
Let me properly introduce him, if you may. 23 years as US. Army Green Beret Special Forces, deployed to combat multiple times, purple heart recipients, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Soldier Medal. After losing a leg due to combat injuries, he returned to active duty for another five years, elected to Florida State Senate in 2022, appointed Lieutenant Governor Byron DeSantis in 2025 Please make some noise for Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins.
And last but not least, we have businessman and investor James Fishback, founder of Azoria Partners and Outsider in the Race, who has made a name for himself in record time, became one of the highest-profile first-time candidates in recent memory, a social media sensation, with a following among younger conservative voters and endorsement from major media figures. Give it up for James Fishback!
James, great to have you here as well. Gentlemen, are you okay if I address you by your first name? Is that okay with you? Thank you for your permission. With that being said, let's address the elephant not in the room, Byron Donalds. Byron Donalds and I have had multiple conversations. I told him I want to be saying this, so when he's seen this, he knows. You and I talked about this. I invited him multiple times. I said, Byron, I suggest you be here. I agree with the governor. You ought to be on the stage debating. He says, Pat, I got $100 million I've raised. Ten times everybody can combine together. I'm at 48% to 58%. If anybody gets to double digit in approval rating, as far as candidates go, I will entertain debating. But till then, I'm not showing up. So that's Byron Donald. Anybody watching this, your job is to help your candidate get to double digit, so he will be on the stage with him, and that's on you to do so. So with that being said, let's get right into it. Gentlemen, again, thank you so much for making the time to come here. There were a lot of people said, oh, he's not going to show up, or this person's not going to show up, or that person's not going to show up. I applaud all three of them for keeping their word. Please make some noise for the candidates for showing up. All right, so let's get right into it. Gentlemen, each of you get a 90-second opening statement. Paul, we'll start off with you.

**Paul Renner** (3:55)
Thank you, Patrick. Good evening. And Patrick, thank you for hosting this debate, so voters have a chance to make an informed decision in this election. I want to recognize my wife, who's in the audience, Adriana.
We are the proud parents of a 6-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son, and I got to tell you, being a parent of young children is perfect preparation for dealing with some of the politicians over in Tallahassee.
And also, I want to thank everyone who's listening tonight, and I look forward to earning your vote. As Florida goes, so goes the nation, and we need a governor who is a battle-tested leader. At age 23, I was a young officer navigating through mine-infested waters, and I led a small boat team to destroy those mines. 20 years later, as a commander in the Navy, I led a team to stop foreign fighters from coming into Afghanistan to kill Americans. I was also tested back here at home as a state prosecutor, trying habitual and violent habitual offenders to protect our communities. I've started my own business, been a partner in another business, and most recently led the Florida House of Speaker. Voters want a proven leader who can deliver results. Governor DeSantis described those two years that I led as unmatched. And when I led the Florida House, conservatives won every battle.