Jay Collins says if he were dropping out of Governor’s race, he’d come out and say it

Embattled gubernatorial hopeful Jay Collins continues to argue his campaign is on solid footing, attempting to counter a “fake rumor that people have put out there” that he’ll be dropping out of the race.

After a late-night video blasting “bullshit” claims that he was suspending his campaign, the Tampa Republican and current Lieutenant Governor reiterated his point Friday.

He said if he was getting out of the race, he would simply announce it.

“If I were to jump out of the race, I would come tell people and do it the right way, the way I’ve done everything, right? The rumor mill that people start is utterly ridiculous. And it’s so nonsensical. Look, I’m in the race. I’m in this to win it,” Collins said on Jacksonville’s WBOB.

While Collins is in the race for now, his campaign is facing issues. His less than $2 million raised is derived from a single donor, he’s at single digits in every credible poll, and he can’t get Gov. Ron DeSantis to endorse him, despite months of publicly supportive comments about the man who appointed Collins to his current role.

But Collins believes that more face time with voters will turn things around.

He said he did 51 events last week, will be in the “high 30s” this week, and that he’s running because he is the only candidate capable of filling the incumbent’s shoes.

“If I thought that the other people in this race were capable of leading the state the way it needs to be done after Governor Ron DeSantis, I wouldn’t be here,” Collins said. “I would be with my family. I wouldn’t take away the hours. I averaged just a handful of hours asleep every single night.”