Don’t expect a former House Speaker and current candidate for Governor to swoop in as President of the University of North Florida.
“Running for Governor. Period. Full stop. Some politicians run for one office to land in another. Our next Governor must put Florida First and that will remain my sole focus,” Paul Renner told Florida Politics.
UNF’s President Moez Limayem is the sole candidate in the running for the presidency of the University of South Florida, creating a likely opening at the Jacksonville school and stoking speculation about whether Renner might want the job.
Renner’s interest in being President of the University of Florida was revealed earlier this year at a meeting of the Board of Governors, to which he was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
But apparently that interest doesn’t extend to leading UNF in the event the current president leaves.
There is precedent for a candidate for Governor leaving the race for a political appointment from the winner.
Back in 2018, Richard Corcoran, a former House Speaker like Renner, briefly ran for the GOP nomination for Governor before leaving the race and backing Adam Putnam against DeSantis.
Though Corcoran made the wrong bet then, it paid off.
He was appointed Education Commissioner, then became President of New College.
However, it doesn’t appear Renner is inclined to follow Corcoran’s path.
Polling from the conservative James Madison Institute shows Renner has ground to make up if he wants the nomination. He trails U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds 29% to 9%, with 62% undecided.
Pollsters also considered what the race may look like if other major Republicans throw their hats in the ring.
When given a list of options that includes the First Lady, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, pollsters find Casey DeSantis with a lead of 26%, while Donalds takes just 23%. With that crowded field in play, Renner would win 7% while Collins and Simpson each receive 2% support.
Either Donalds or Renner would have an edge on David Jolly, a former Republican Congressman-turned-MSNBC commentator and the only major candidate currently seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.
The poll shows 36% of registered voters would support Donalds over Jolly, who would win 32%, while independent Jason Pizzo would receive 4%. Renner, the poll shows, would take 34% of the vote to Jolly’s 33% and Pizzo’s 5%.
Gov. DeSantis, who looks likely to back Collins or his wife, says Renner’s decision to get in the race was “ill-advised.”
But Renner said it didn’t faze him.
“What I know is that the Governor wants what’s best for the state and I’m confident that we’ll have his support if I’m the nominee,” Renner said.
What’s clear from Renner’s comments Tuesday is that even the promise of a university presidency won’t stop him from testing that thesis and his viability with voters.
–A.G. Gancarski, with Jacob Ogles, Florida Politics
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