NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — Fresh off a surprise endorsement from Donald Trump, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) relished the support he received at the Conservative Political Action Conference and teased his next steps.

Donalds, a rising star in the party who was once a contender for House speaker, is on the cusp of taking the big jump in his political career as a front-running contender to govern Trump’s adopted home state.

“As for me, stay tuned,” Donalds mused during his speech Friday, stopping short of explicitly announcing he was launching a campaign to become Florida’s next governor.

The crowd immediately erupted in cheers and applause for Donalds.

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A frequent presence on cable TV and a prominent surrogate for Trump, including his outreach to black voters entering the Republican Party, Donalds has been on the fast track since entering the House in 2021.

In four years, Donalds has raised his national profile with frequent appearances on Fox News, garnered praise for his fervent support of Trump, and quickly shown his ability to connect with GOP supporters across the nation.

Donalds also raised speculation he would run for governor last month when he hired Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, headed by campaign pollster, Tony Fabrizio.

But before he announces his future career plans, both he and his wife, Erika Donalds, had stage roles at CPAC and warm receptions.

When Donalds’s name was mentioned Friday morning, hours before he took the stage, CPAC attendees cheered in support of the Florida congressman.

After Donalds’s CPAC speech, he was swarmed by supporters as he tried to engage in media hits.

Several attendees at the gathering expressed excitement for his potential run for governor in interviews with the Washington Examiner.

“I would love to see him do that. Are you kidding me?” said Manuel Rosales, chair of the Latino National Republican Coalition. “I was hoping that Byron would have been the vice presidential choice too because he’s a terrific guy. … I’ve never met him, but I love what he says, and he’s very articulate, and he knows what he’s saying.”

“I think he would do a good job for Florida. I think he’s passionate about core American patriotic values. I like the way he communicates,” added Gem Balboa, 55, a Long Island, New York resident who works in finance. “I think he unites people of all different parts of the MAGA movement into the Republican Party. And I’m all for that.”

John Paul Moran, founder and CEO of the nonprofit group Grand Opportunity USA which releases its own political credit rating system based on, said Donalds’ “values line up with the GOUSA values.”

“We rated him. We rated everybody in Congress. He’s got a high rating. So it’s not me, it’s the voice of the people in the U.S. Constitution that says he’s a good choice because he’s doing his job, supporting the constitution of all the people,” he added.

With a possible Trump endorsement already secured, Donalds would likely quell a GOP primary challenge from Casey DeSantis, Florida first lady and wife of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).

Trump’s 2018 endorsement of the Florida governor helped propel him during the GOP primary and eventually to the governor’s mansion. DeSantis later challenged Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination but was easily trounced and dropped out a week after the Iowa caucuses.

He would later endorse Trump and speak in his support at the Republican National Convention over the summer. But the lack of loyalty could have possibly led Trump to endorse Donalds, an ally, over Casey DeSantis.

On Thursday evening, Trump took to social media with a surprise “complete and total” endorsement of Donalds, urging him to “RUN, BYRON, RUN!”

“I know Byron well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a TOTAL WINNER! Byron has a great wife, Erika, and three beautiful sons. They are very proud of him! As Governor, Byron would have a BIG Voice, and would work closely with me to advance our America First Agenda,” Trump posted.

Donalds expressed his gratitude to Trump for his preemptive endorsement at CPAC.

“It’s been an interesting 12 hours,” Donalds joked when he first appeared onstage of the president’s post of support on social media.

Erika Donalds, a conservative education activist and the wife of the Florida congressman, didn’t expect the president to endorse her husband this week.

“I was definitely caught off guard. I was on my way here to CPAC and my phone started blowing up,” she said about Trump’s endorsement in an interview with the Washington Examiner. “And of course, it was an amazing thing to see how complimentary the president was of my husband. Of course, I believe all those things that President Trump said that he would make an incredible governor, and so we’ll see what happens.”

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Her husband simply thanked Trump publicly for his support.

“I just want to say, Mr. President, thank you and I will never let you down,” Donalds said from the CPAC stage.

Marisa Schultz contributed to this report.