In Florida, as Governor Rick Scott prepares to leave office, a heavy selection of candidates are vying to take his place. Fox 4 compiled this list of the candidates to keep viewers informed.
Republicans
Ron DeSantis
DeSantis, 39, currently represents Florida's 6th district. He has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for four years. He's a graduate of Yale and Harvard Law School. According to his website, DeSantis is a Lieutenant commander in the reserve component in the U.S. Navy. He was endorsed by President Donald Trump in June 2018.
Adam Putnam, 44, has served as Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture since 2010. According to his website, Putnam was raised on his family's cattle ranch in Bartow, Florida and began working in fields at a young age. He's been vocal in his support for the second amendment. According to The Tampa Bay Times, Putnam's campaign released a caricature of DeSantis wearing a hat that says "Where's Ron."
Democrats
Andrew Gillum, 39, is the mayor of Tallahassee, Florida. Gillum's website states that he was born in Miami Florida and later became the first person in his family to graduate college. He attended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. After the events in Charlottesville, West Virginia, Gillum made a statement urging Governor Rick Scott to remove Confederate monuments from the Old State Capital.
Gwen Graham, 55, previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Florida's 2nd district. Before running for public office Graham worked as an administrator for Leon County Schools. Graham has been vocal on educational issues and Voted to reform No Child Left Behind while serving as congresswoman.
Jeff Greene, 63, is an entrepreneur and the most recent candidate to join the gubernatorial race.
He began campaigning in June 2018. Greene has been most outspoken about the economy and education. Greene made an unsuccessful Senate run in 2010.
Chris King, 39, is an entrepreneur originally from Orlando, Florida. According to his website, King graduated from Harvard University and received a law degree from the University of Florida. Most notably, king has consistently refused to take any campaign donations from the sugar industry.
Philip Levine, 56, has served two terms as mayor of Miami Beach. His website states that he is a graduate of the Broward County public school system. Before entering public service, Levine was the CEO of OnBoard Media. The Miami Herald recommended Levine for Governor in August 2018.
