Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings trails the most prominent Republican contenders for governor by double digits in the first poll measuring his rumored candidacy.

But the survey also shows he stands on relatively equal footing with the leading Democrat in the race so far.

The University of North Florida poll released Tuesday shows Demings trailing the Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples, by 12 percentage points, with 34% of respondents backing Demings compared to 46% backing Donalds.

Demings was also 11 points behind, 47% to 36%, in a head-to-head race with First Lady Casey DeSantis. Like Demings, DeSantis has been rumored to run, but neither has filed so far.

The presumed Democratic frontrunner in the contest is David Jolly, a former Republican congressman from St. Peters

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