President Donald Trump shared a social media post showing Rep. Byron Donalds leading the 2026 race for Florida governor by a wide margin.
With Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., term-limited and unable to seek reelection, the Republican nominee, whoever it is, is expected to be favored in the red state.
Trump on Monday shared a screenshot of Victory Insights’ survey results showing Donalds (31%) way ahead in a hypothetical GOP primary field. Other people listed included Florida International University Interim President and former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez (4%), Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson (3%) and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (1%).
However, the poll shows 60% of GOP primary voters remain undecided who to support.
Trump’s endorsement likely will carry a lot of weight among the state’s primary voters, The Hill reported.
"Though Donalds is the clear frontrunner today, much crazier things have happened than an early frontrunner squandering his head start. As the race continues to develop, we’ll continue to provide the public with high-quality polling data as we inform our clients across the nation on both big-picture trends and hyper-focused insights," Victory Insights Senior Pollster Ben Galbraith said in a release about the polling results.
NBC News reported last month that Donalds was telling potential donors and Florida political players that he’s running for governor, the clearest signal yet that his much-expected bid is moving forward.
During a Feb. 7 appearance on "Real Time with Bill Maher," Donalds said, "We’ll see what happens," after being asked about a possible gubernatorial run.
Sources close to Donalds told The Hill last month that the close Trump ally hired the president’s 2016 and 2024 pollster, Tony Fabrizio.
Current Florida first lady Casey DeSantis has been rumored to be a possible candidate to follow her husband in the governor’s office.
A June polling memo from Florida Atlantic University showed Casey DeSantis (43%) leading a field of candidates and ahead of Donalds (19%) with state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and former Rep. Matt Gaetz further back, Florida Politics reported.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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