U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) announced his candidacy for governor of Florida in 2026 during a Fox News appearance Tuesday night.
“We’re going to continue being the freeest state and the best state moving forward,” he said.
Due to term limits in Florida, Ron DeSantis is not eligible for reelection, and Byron Donalds was the first to officially announce his bid for the Republican primary.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump made an early endorsement for Donalds in the state’s 2026 gubernatorial race last week.
Pres. Trump Endorses Byron Donalds for Governor of Florida in 2026
The endorsement came amid speculation about other potential candidates for the Republican nomination. Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis has been mentioned as a possible contender.
During a news conference in Tampa Bay Monday, DeSantis was asked about President Trump’s endorsement of Donalds for governor.
DeSantis responded, “We’ve achieved victories in Florida. We need to start achieving those victories up there.”
He added, “You got a guy like Byron — he just hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we’ve had here over the left these last years.”
DeSantis then teased the idea of his wife running for governor, saying, “I won by the biggest margin that any Republican has ever won a governor’s race here in Florida. She [Casey] would do better than me.”
Donalds responded to rumors of Casey DeSantis jumping into the race by saying, “It’s still early,” and noting he’s “excited to have the full endorsement of President Trump.” He added, “[Trump] has a lot of faith in me.”
Among his priorities are to “turn Florida into the financial hub of the world” and “become the most business-friendly state in our country,” he said. Donalds also spoke about a plan to “take the lead on cryptocurrency and digital assets,” potentially “having crypto be a part of the state’s financial portfolio.”
WATCH:
Donalds: After a lot of prayer, a lot of thoughts with my family and my friends, I’m here to announce my candidacy to be the next Governor of the great state of Florida. And Sean, we have a wonderful state. I got to Florida when I was 17-years-old off of a Greyhound bus with just a trunk full of clothes, and over the rest of my time in Florida, I built a family, I built a career, 17 years in financial services. I joined the Tea Party movement, was in the conservative movement.
I was able to serve four years in the state legislature, four years in Congress, and I think now is the time to now take the mantle and lead our state into the future. We’ve had a great governor. Ron DeSantis has done a tremendous job for our state, but now the job is to keep the best state in the country as the best state in the country. And so, that’s going to be the mission at hand, and I’m excited to announce my candidacy with you tonight.
