Jerry Demings suspends race for Florida governor after cancer diagnosis

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings on Friday said he was suspending his campaign to be Florida's next governor after being diagnosed with cancer.

"Monday of this week I received some bad news," he said. "I have prostate cancer, and because of that, I am going to suspend my campaign for governor."

Demings, a Democrat who has been mayor since 2018, made the somber announcement to reporters following his eighth and final "State of the County" address in which he highlighted the county's successes.

"I intend to continue running through the finish line as the mayor of Orange County," said Demings, 66. "But in order for me to receive the treatment that I need, I'm going to have to come off the campaign trail," he said, adding that the cancer was caught early.

Demings, who had a long career in law enforcement and was a former Orange County sheriff, was surrounded by family, including his wife and sons, when he made the announcement. He said it was a private matter but one he needed to make public given his "very visible public position."

"I'm going to focus on my health," he added.

He concluded his remarks by saying, "I'm not going to take any questions on this at this time. What I say to all of you is, ‘pray for me'."

Demings is a Central Florida trailblazer. He was the first African American to serve as Orlando's police chief in 1998 and later served as the first African American Orange County Sheriff from 2008 to 2018. That year, he was elected the first African American Orange County mayor, winning a second term in 2022.

His wife, Val Demings, is also a former Orlando police chief and congresswoman.

Demings said he regularly goes to the doctor.

"One in six men will get prostate cancer. With African American men, it's even worse, one in four," he said. "So I don't have a history of it in my family, but because I have continued to go to the doctor, take all my various tests, I've gone through everything that they needed to do to verify what it is."

-----------

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 1:32 PM.