State Sen. Jason Pizzo to run for Florida governor as no-party-affiliated candidate

[In It to Win It]

Two weeks after quitting the Democratic Party and becoming a no-party-affiliated member of the Legislature, state Sen. Jason Pizzo said he’ll enter the governor’s race.

Pizzo, of Sunny Isles Beach, told CBS News Miami on May 9 he’ll be a candidate. As an NPA candidate, he’ll forgo a primary campaign and be on the November 2026 ballot.

“We need somebody who can balance a checkbook, who understands finance, not just economic theory; who's concerned about infrastructure and resiliency and the environment and education and all of these things that are top of mind for people that are just trying to keep a roof over their head, keep their kids clothed and educated," Pizzo said.

A former assistant state attorney for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, the 48-year-old Pizzo was first elected to the Senate in 2018. He was reelected in 2022 and became the Senate Democratic leader after the 2024 election. He'll be term-limited next year.

But Pizzo was more centrist than the rest of his caucus and on April 24 announced he was stepping down as Democratic leader and leaving the party, declaring the Florida Democratic Party “dead.” That remark was ripped by Democrats who insisted the party still has a pulse in the Sunshine State.

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/12/pizzo-governor-race-npa/83578512007/

[bucolic_frolic]

1. They need someone who understands that this is no way to win an election

but he doesn't even get that.