President Trump said Thursday that he would endorse Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) should he decide to run for governor of Florida.
“I am hearing that Highly Respected Congressman Byron Donalds is considering running for Governor of Florida, a State that I love, and WON BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024,” Trump said.
“I know Byron well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a TOTAL WINNER! Byron has a great wife, Erika, and three beautiful sons. They are very proud of him! As Governor, Byron would have a BIG Voice, and would work closely with me to advance our America First Agenda. He will fight tirelessly to Secure our Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Military, Protect our Vets, Restore our Economic Power, Advance American Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” he continued.
“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. RUN, BYRON, RUN!” he added.
I am hearing that Highly Respected Congressman Byron Donalds is considering running for Governor of Florida, a State that I love, and WON BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
I know Byron well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a TOTAL WINNER!…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) February 20, 2025
JUST IN – President Trump endorses Byron Donalds for Florida Governor. pic.twitter.com/Me4dhnxEB7
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) February 20, 2025
A closer look:
From The Hill:
President Trump is touting a internal poll showing Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) leading in a hypothetical Florida governor’s race.
Trump touted the poll, which was conducted by the Florida-based Republican pollster Victory Insights, in a post on Truth Social.
The poll showed Donalds leading a hypothetical Republican primary field with 31 percent support. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez (R) trailed at 4 percent support followed by the state’s Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson (R) at 3 percent support, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez at 1 percent support.
No one has jumped into the Republican primary for the state’s gubernatorial race, but Donalds has told a number of Florida Republican donors that he plans on launching a bid. Simpson and Nuñez have both been floated as potential candidates for the position as well.
Trump’s endorsement will likely carry a ton of weight in the state’s Republican primary given the president’s residency and presence in the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited and will leave office in January 2027.
Trump just posted screenshots of polling showing Byron Donalds leading in the hypothetical FL Governors race
pic.twitter.com/DsKA9ADd5q
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) February 17, 2025
Per Florida Politics:
At a New York City fundraiser last year, Trump suggested Donalds might be a good fit, saying that if he ran for Governor, he’d have “many friends in the race.”
ADVERTISEMENTAnd that poll shows it, albeit with a significant caveat. The survey omits one potential candidate with major name recognition: First Lady Casey DeSantis.
Donalds has been coy about a potential run, including saying “we’ll see what happens” when he was asked about a still-hypothetical clash with the former Jacksonville newscaster who has become the most prominent and powerful First Lady in Florida history.
Yet polls that have included Casey DeSantis have shown her ahead of the field.
Per a June polling memo from Florida Atlantic University, she leads a field of candidates with 43% support, ahead of Donalds at 19%, with Jimmy Patronis and Matt Gaetz further back still.
A poll conducted in April by FAU showed 38% of 372 Florida Republicans polled would choose the First Lady in a head-to-head race against Gaetz, who would receive 16% support in that scenario.
A University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab survey from November 2023 showed the First Lady with 22% support, a lead in a crowded field of potential candidates.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.
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