President Donald Trump brought an early end Thursday to the speculation around his favorite for the 2026 Florida governor's race in a post on Truth Social, endorsing loyalist Rep. Byron Donalds for the job.
The president's backing of Donalds is likely to have a chilling effect on the race in Florida, a state Trump won by 13 points in November and that he has called home since 2019. Trump over Truth Social urged Donalds to run and called him a “highly respected congressman” and a “TOTAL WINNER” who'd been “tested at the highest and most difficult levels.”
Trump's Impact on Florida Politics
Trump made his choice for governor clear far before any candidate — including Donalds — stated his or her intention to run. The announcement also came as speculation has reached a fever pitch about whether Gov. Ron DeSantis' wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, would run for her husband's job and as the governor has been increasingly talking about his legacy.
“Looks like that's that,” one Ron DeSantis donor and supporter texted POLITICO upon seeing Trump's social media post.
The post by Trump could also lead Wilton Simpson, the state's agriculture commissioner, to bypass the governor's race and seek a second term instead. He has already raised millions for his political committees that he could have used in that race.
Donalds' Potential Candidacy and Trump's Influence
Trump gave a clue about his feelings on the governor's race earlier this week by posting a poll that showed Donalds in the lead of possible candidates. The poll did not assess how well the congressman fared against Casey DeSantis but another one, from the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab, found her favorables were twice as high as his.
Trump endorsed Donalds before speaking at the Republican Governors Association's annual meeting in Washington. His 2018 endorsement of Ron DeSantis for governor — which came late in the primary — helped propel him from a relatively unknown member of Congress to the lead candidate. Trump would later say that he regretted that decision when Ron DeSantis unsuccessfully challenged him for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, though the two appear to have mostly made amends.
During the presidential race Trump teased Donalds about running for governor, bringing it up at rallies and fundraisers.
Donalds' Path to Governorship
Should Donalds run and win, he'd be the first Black governor of Florida. Donalds, who's in his third term in Congress, used to be close to DeSantis and was the only person to deliver remarks at his 2022 landslide reelection victory.
Donalds had even helped DeSantis prepare for his gubernatorial debate against Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum. But the two had a falling out after clashing over African American history standards for middle schoolers in Florida that said enslaved people 'developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.'