'You Can't Pull a Biden': Collins Demands Donalds Debate as GOP Governor's Race Clock Ticks

Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, facing long odds and a staggering cash gap in the Republican race for Florida governor, is betting that a debate stage can do what $1.75 million apparently cannot — make Byron Donalds sweat.

For Treasure Coast Republican primary voters who will help decide that race, the question Collins is forcing into the open is a blunt one: Why won't the front-runner show up?

Collins made his case on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" over the weekend, invoking the Biden basement-campaign playbook to describe Donalds' posture toward challengers. "You can't hide in the shadows. You can't pull a Biden and hide in a corner behind your couch in the basement," Collins said. "You've got to come out and debate, and I'm very frustrated that Byron Donalds is unwilling to do that. I think he's got to stand up and show up. If you're that far ahead, then what are you scared of? Step up, communicate, show up at a debate stage."

Donalds, the Naples congressman, has raised roughly $81 million and leads every public poll of the Republican primary by wide margins. His campaign's answer to the debate pressure has been a call for party unity — arguing that Republicans should coalesce behind him rather than wage what he frames as a damaging internecine fight.

Collins isn't buying it. "Donalds has told the entire state he's not willing to debate," the retired Green Beret and former state senator said. "He said that the Republican Party of Florida set criteria that no one's seen, and that he's not going to debate because it's time for us to coalesce behind him. Last I checked, we don't coronate people in America. There was a whole 1776 thing about that."

The math, however, remains brutal. The last fundraising reports — covering activity through the end of March — showed former House Speaker Paul Renner at just over six million dollars raised and Collins at roughly $1.75 million. New reports covering activity through May are due June 10, and both candidates will need to show dramatic improvement to demonstrate viability.

Collins is the first to acknowledge the hill he's climbing. On Fox, the retired special operations officer said he'd faced "hard times" before — a deliberate signal that his campaign isn't ready to stand down.

There is historical precedent for a dominant front-runner to skip debates: Donald Trump declined to appear alongside Ron DeSantis and other challengers during the 2024 presidential primary and went on to sweep every battleground state in the general election.

The Democratic field has narrowed, meanwhile, with former Congressman David Jolly emerging as the presumptive nominee after Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings withdrew for health reasons.

The next campaign finance deadline is June 10.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.