Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said Friday he appreciates President Donald Trump's endorsement for him to be Florida's next governor but did not directly address whether he will run in 2026 to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is term-limited from running again.
In a post Thursday on Truth Social, Trump wrote that as Florida's governor, Donalds "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.”
“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,” Trump added. “RUN, BYRON, RUN!”
But when asked Friday about entering the race, Donalds said he is not “going to get into it now, there’s a lot of different things that we’re thinking through, but I do got to say, really appreciative of President Trump and his support,” according to The Hill.
“You know, it’s something where, you know, I think if we decided to make that that jump, you know, the mission is going to be about making sure that Florida just goes to higher and higher heights,” Donalds said.
Donalds said he and his team are having internal discussions, including about potentially entering the race.
“Nothing really to put out right now, but I’m really appreciative of the support from President Trump and the support pouring out from so many other people around the state, around the country,” Donalds said.
Days before Trump’s endorsement, the president revealed an internal poll conducted by Florida-based Republican pollster Victory Insights that showed Donalds, who has represented Florida’s 19th Congressional District since 2021, being in the top spot in a hypothetical governor’s race.
Donalds led with 31%; Jeanette Nuñez, who recently resigned as lieutenant governor to become interim president at Florida International University, was at 4%; and state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson was at 3%.
It is likely too early to know which candidate DeSantis would endorse. Donalds praised DeSantis’ work in Florida.
“I think the one thing that is clear is that, look, Gov. DeSantis has done a great job for our state,” Donalds said. “We all know that, and but there’s going to be time to pick a new governor, and then we’ll go on from there.”
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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