Polling Average
40%30%20%10%0%
35.5%
20.9%
9%
Republican
Charles Burkett
Florida Republican Governor nominee?
$5.4M
AUG 19, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleMayor
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyConservative Republican
GenderMale
LocationFlorida
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BackgroundMayor (Surfside, Florida)
EducationThe Cushman School (pre-school)
Notable personal detailsCharles W. Burkett is a Florida local official and real estate investor who has served multiple terms as mayor of Surfside, Florida. He filed as a candidate for Governor of Florida for the 2026 general election as a No Party Affiliation candidate. He is a University of Miami graduate (B.S. in Finance) and has described operating a national investment company.
SourcesShowHide
dos.elections.myflorida.comwlrn.orgburkettforgov.comen.wikipedia.orgreference.orgfec.govdos.fl.govapnews.comcanvass.sos.idaho.govapr.orgmysuncoast.commiamiherald.comwuft.orgfec.state.fl.usmymanatee.orgarxiv.orgmartinvotes.comleg.state.fl.usfloridapolitics.comamericawantsbetter.orgvinnews.comsouthfloridashtetl.comwpbf.comfloridaphoenix.comflsenate.govivoterguide.compresidency.ucsb.eduyahoo.comocalagazette.comtheinvadingsea.comwoods.stanford.eduwlky.comgoodmorningamerica.comlegislation.ballotpedia.orgx.comdeveloper.ballotpedia.orgfacebook.comcdn.ballotpedia.orglegal.x.comgo.politico.comnga.orghistory.house.govgovinfo.govcongress.govvoterguide.ballotpedia.orgsbc.senate.gov
Positions
LiberalConservative
Economy & Taxes
Supports significant tax cuts, including slashing and eventually eliminating property taxes for existing Florida homeowners and renters, and prioritizes controlling government costs while promoting business and tourism growth.
Healthcare
Healthcare should be provided as a safety-net for vulnerable Americans who cannot work and for those not of working age; no detailed plan for universal coverage or for-market reforms is specified on the candidate's public positions pages.
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Immigration & Border
The candidate advocates enforcing immigration laws and prioritizing long-term Florida residents over new arrivals, including policy proposals that disadvantage recent arrivals (e.g., residency-based waiting periods for certain benefits). Public materials emphasize stronger enforcement rather than expanded legal pathways or regularization.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate's stated positions endorse broad legal access to abortion, describing bodily autonomy as a non-negotiable right and affirming that a woman may remove a pregnancy from day one up to one minute before birth while urging that medical professionals prioritize preserving the mother’s life. The policy language on his political-positions site frames a pro-choice approach though it also emphasizes physicians' ethical duty to preserve life.
Climate & Energy
Supports developing and incentivizing renewable and clean energy technologies and policies to modernize energy production while promoting innovation and environmental stewardship. Emphasizes respecting and caring for the environment and encouraging incentives for new clean energy production. Policy materials do not call for aggressive fossil-fuel phaseouts or Green New Deal–style language.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports the Second Amendment and emphasizes protecting the right to bear arms while endorsing measures to keep firearms out of the hands of people intent on killing; favors strong, fully funded policing and a "zero tolerance" approach to violent crime. Policy language stresses solutions that do not violate the Constitution while permitting open discussion of ways to prevent dangerous people from obtaining guns.
Polls
Florida Republican Governor nominee?
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
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