Trump-Endorsed Candidate Formally Launches Gubernatorial Campaign

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Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) has officially launched his campaign for Governor of Florida.

Donalds, who received President Trump’s endorsement, held an event Friday in his hometown of Bonita Springs in southwest Florida.

“14 years ago, I was a local Tea Party Activist giving my first political speech from a truck bed to friends & neighbors. I took this activism to the State House, Capitol Hill, & across the nation,” Donalds said.

“Tonight, I stand before these same friends & neighbors as Candidate for Governor,” he added.

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From the Associated Press:

Donalds spoke to local residents at Sugarshack, a live music venue and restaurant in downtown Bonita Springs, and he outlined his top priorities he’d message to voters on the campaign trail: addressing Florida’s insurance crisis, building new roads, restoring the Everglades, making Florida the “financial capital of the world” and ensuring children in schools “master math, reading, writing and reasoning.”

“This is the free state of Florida, and as your next governor, it will remain the free state of Florida,” Donalds said.

After his wife, Erika Donalds, introduced him, Byron Donalds took the stage to the song “The Time is Now” by John Cena, and he was greeted by an energized crowd that cheered and waved “Team Donalds” signs.

The Republican congressman took the opportunity not only to introduce his campaign, but to tell the story of how he arrived in Florida — at 17 years old with a bag of clothes on a Greyhound bus. Donalds said his first political event was at a tea party rally in Naples, the area he now represents, 16 years ago.

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POLITICO reports:

After walking onstage to “The Time Is Now,” Donalds, 46, hailed Florida as “the best state in America” and reminded the crowd — many of them wearing “Make America Great Again” caps — that he had President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the 2026 race.

“He has endorsed me because he knows I will lead with courage, conviction and common sense,” Donalds said from the stage at the Sugarshack Downtown, a restaurant and music venue. “And that’s what our state needs: to remain the blueprint for what is possible in America. As your next governor, I’ll fix what’s broken while building on what makes Florida the best state in America.”

While Donalds spent some time talking about his biography, most of his speech focused on what he called a “bold and clear” plan for Florida, including promises to lower property insurance bills, reduce traffic jams, restore the Everglades, make Florida a global financial capital, cut taxes and improve education proficiency. Donalds pitched the improvements without criticizing DeSantis — instead praising him for building a “great foundation” while adding, “We have other things we have got to figure out.”

The rally comes as DeSantis has dismissed Donalds’ candidacy as too early and talked up the possibility that his wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, may run for governor. DeSantis has suggested he doesn’t see Donalds as sufficiently conservative or as having contributed toward Florida’s conservative policy wins. The DeSantises were at a “Florida Heroes” event Friday evening at the governor’s mansion that honored first responders and faith leaders.

Donalds appeared to address the criticisms over his record directly during his speech, promising Florida would support Trump’s agenda on illegal immigration and would back law enforcement as DeSantis has. He raised instances in which he voted to the right of his colleagues, including against tightening gun restrictions in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

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