“Byron Donalds would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida and, should he decide to run, will have my Complete and Total Endorsement,” President Donald Trump posted on his TRUTH social media site. “RUN, BYRON, RUN!”
And principled limited government constitutional conservative U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds has taken President Trump’s encouragement to heart and will officially kick-off his 2026 campaign for Governor of Florida tonight. The campaign kick-off rally, set to take place in Bonita Springs in the heart of Donalds’ southwest Florida congressional district.
“I am excited to launch our campaign for Governor in Southwest Florida, where I first started fighting for our Conservative principles in the Tea Party movement,” Donalds said. “I am grateful for all the support we have received—especially President Trump’s—and look forward to celebrating with friends and family.”
Kick off rally details:
The event will take place on Friday, March 28, at Sugarshack Downtown, located at 27421 Old 41 Rd., Bonita Springs, FL 34135. Doors will open at 4 p.m., with programming beginning at 6:30 p.m. and concluding at 8 p.m.
Donalds made the initial announcement of his intention to run during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity.”
“After a lot of prayer, a lot of thought, I’ve decided to announce my candidacy for the governor of Florida,” said Donalds.
Getting a leg up on the other potential candidates, including Gov. DeSantis’s wife Casey, Donalds enters the race with President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Donalds has been a frequent Trump surrogate and was on the short list to be his vice presidential running mate last year.
Donalds is seeking to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is ineligible to seek another term after eight years in office due to term limits.
The 46-year-old Donalds, who lives in Naples in southwest Florida, was born and raised in Brooklyn. He graduated from Florida State University.
He was working as a financial adviser when then-Gov. Rick Scott appointed him to the board of trustees at a state college, cementing his rise in the state GOP.
He entered the Florida House in 2016, won a seat in the U.S. House in 2020 and has been on the short list for multiple opportunities ever since, including being nominated in January 2023 by House conservatives as a candidate for House speaker, noted the Associated Press.
After Trump’s endorsement, Donalds indicated that he would make an announcement soon and said he was “committed to working with him to Keep Florida Great.” In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 21, Donalds said Trump has called him to talk to him about running.
“Florida is not going to stop leading,” Donalds said. “We’re going to build off of what we’ve done, and we are going to continue to lead bigger, better, faster, greater, safer, freer, because the American dream is for everybody, and we’re going to show the other 49 states how to get it done.”
We first became acquainted with Rep. Donalds and his wife, Erika Donalds, through their work to transform public education and direct more taxpayer dollars into private and charter schools in Collier Country, Florida. A former county school board member, Erika Donalds runs a company that oversees charter schools and a virtual academy and was seen as a possible Cabinet or subcabinet addition to the second Trump administration.
In addition to Casey DeSantis, other potential GOP candidates include Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, although his star tarnished a bit due to his opposition to more vigorous immigration enforcement, he could gain support from Florida’s powerful agriculture industry.
Polling reported by our friends at the independent conservative news site Florida’s Voice shows Byron Donalds ahead of Casey DeSantis in Florida governor primary.
President Donald Trump pollster Fabrizio Lee & Associates, hired by the Donalds campaign, found the congressman sits at 34% support among Florida Republican likely voters, while DeSantis is at 30% – a four-point advantage for Donalds.
The poll found Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson at 3%, with the rest undecided.
Meanwhile, when voters are informed Trump had endorsed Donalds, the congressman’s support soars to 45% while DeSantis’ support declines to 23% – a wide 22-point lead for Donalds. To read the full coverage of the poll in Florida’s Voice click this link.
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