Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced Friday morning that he is suspending his campaign for governor.
Demings said he learned Monday that he has prostate cancer. He said he will focus instead on his health, on completing his term as mayor and on his family
“I’m going to focus on living,” he said. “I’m not going to focus on running for another office.”
Demings, a Democrat, has led Orange County for eight years. He made the announcement in a press conference following his final State of the County address. The speech was an upbeat account of his accomplishments as mayor since 2018.
During the announcement, at the end of the press conference, many of Demings’ family members, including his wife, former Congresswoman Val Demings, stood behind him, some with tears in their eyes.
Jerry Demings entered the race for governor last fall. He was among 11 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination.
This story will be updated.
