U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) introduced his candidacy for governor of Florida in 2026 throughout a Fox Information look Tuesday evening.
“We’re going to proceed being the freeest state and the perfect state transferring ahead,” he stated.
As a consequence of time period limits in Florida, Ron DeSantis is just not eligible for reelection, and Byron Donalds was the primary to formally announce his bid for the Republican main.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump made an early endorsement for Donalds within the state’s 2026 gubernatorial race final week.
Pres. Trump Endorses Byron Donalds for Governor of Florida in 2026
The endorsement got here amid hypothesis about different potential candidates for the Republican nomination. Florida First Woman Casey DeSantis has been talked about as a doable contender.
Throughout a information convention in Tampa Bay Monday, DeSantis was requested about President Trump’s endorsement of Donalds for governor.
DeSantis responded, “We’ve achieved victories in Florida. We have to begin attaining these victories up there.”
He added, “You bought a man like Byron — he simply hasn’t been part of any of the victories that we’ve had right here over the left these final years.”
DeSantis then teased the thought of his spouse operating for governor, saying, “I gained by the largest margin that any Republican has ever gained a governor’s race right here in Florida. She [Casey] would do higher than me.”
Donalds responded to rumors of Casey DeSantis leaping into the race by saying, “It is nonetheless early,” and noting he is “excited to have the total endorsement of President Trump.” He added, “[Trump] has lots of religion in me.”
Amongst his priorities are to “flip Florida into the monetary hub of the world” and “turn into essentially the most business-friendly state in our nation,” he stated. Donalds additionally spoke a couple of plan to “take the lead on cryptocurrency and digital property,” probably “having crypto be part of the state’s monetary portfolio.”
WATCH:
Donalds: After lots of prayer, lots of ideas with my household and my associates, I am right here to announce my candidacy to be the subsequent Governor of the good state of Florida. And Sean, we’ve got a beautiful state. I bought to Florida once I was 17-years-old off of a Greyhound bus with only a trunk full of garments, and over the remainder of my time in Florida, I constructed a household, I constructed a profession, 17 years in monetary providers. I joined the Tea Get together motion, was within the conservative motion.
I used to be capable of serve 4 years within the state legislature, 4 years in Congress, and I believe now’s the time to now take the mantle and lead our state into the longer term. We have had a fantastic governor. Ron DeSantis has accomplished an incredible job for our state, however now the job is to maintain the perfect state within the nation as the perfect state within the nation. And so, that is going to be the mission at hand, and I am excited to announce my candidacy with you tonight.
