Republican Rep. Byron Donalds announced Tuesday that he’s entering the 2026 race to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is ineligible to seek another term after eight years in office.
Donalds enters the race with President Donald Trump‘s endorsement. Donalds has been a frequent Trump surrogate and was on the shortlist to be his vice presidential running mate last year.
DeSantis, who cannot run again due to term limits and unsuccessfully tried a presidential bid against Trump last year, has not yet made any official endorsement for his successor.
Just before Donalds’ announcement, DeSantis suggested that his wife, Casey DeSantis, would be a worthy governor and said Donalds was not a part of his victories on conservative priorities.
Donalds highlights conservative record, policy priorities
Donalds praised the governor Tuesday, saying he had done a “tremendous job for our state.” Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News, Donalds did not directly address the speculation about a Casey DeSantis run but noted his Trump endorsement and his record in elected office.
“For a long time, I’ve been in the trenches, in a lot of these battles, dealing with conservatism,” he added, saying he would prioritize lowering insurance costs, promoting the cryptocurrency industry, and preserving the waterways of the Everglades, the largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S.
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.
Facing potential GOP rivals, but Trump’s support looms large
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 the far-right wing as a candidate for House speaker.
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.”
In addition to Casey DeSantis, other potential GOP candidates include former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who said in January that he was considering a run, and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, though he recently fought with DeSantis over immigration policies.
But Trump’s endorsement may clear the way for Donalds given his dominance in Republican politics, particularly in his adopted home state. Trump established residency in Palm Beach during his first term.
“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,” the president posted Thursday on his social media site. “RUN, BYRON, RUN!”
Historic candidacy and focus on education reform
One of the state’s most high-profile Black Republicans, Donalds would become the first African American to serve as governor if he wins.
Donalds and his wife, Erika Donalds, built a reputation for working to transform public education and direct more taxpayer dollars into private and charter schools. A former county school board member, she runs a company that oversees charter schools and a virtual academy.
