Staff Report

Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL 19) was quick to jump into the GOP gubernatorial race and won the endorsement of President Donald Trump. But as support for the president’s policies wanes, even among Republicans, Donalds is not putting any distance between the two politicians.

“In just one year back in office, President Trump is rebuilding our economy, which the Biden Administration left in shambles,” said Donalds in a statement celebrating the first year of Trump’s second term. “Delivering the largest tax cuts in our nation’s history and putting money back into the pockets of hardworking Americans, President Trump’s America-First policies have ignited job growth, raised wages, and lowered prices from the crippling heights created by Bidenflation.”

Donalds leads a long list of Republicans who have filed to seek the nomination, including:

Jay Collins – Lieutenant Governor of Florida, officially entered the race
Paul Renner – Former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
James Fishback – Entrepreneur and GOP gubernatorial candidate
Bobby Williams (Robert Edward “Bobby” Williams Jr.) – Activist and volunteer

“Under President Trump’s leadership and emphasis on peace through strength, America is once again respected on the world stage, needless wars have ended, and violent dictators have been dethroned,” continued Donalds.

Lame duck governor Ron DeSantis has backed Jay Collins, his Lieutenant Governor. Donalds and DeSantis had been political allies but clashed in 2023 after the governor accused Donalds of siding with Democrat Kamala Harris in a dispute over Florida’s standards for teaching Black history.

Trump’s approval rating currently stands at 39%, with 58% of Americans saying his first year back in office has been a failure. While the president’s approval rating among Republicans has remained high, Republican support for ICE’s tactics and threats to invade Greenland has been notably low. Nonetheless, Donalds has yet to be critical of Trump or his policies.

“Delivering on the mandate the American people gave him, President Trump has ended Biden’s border crisis,” said Donalds. “Through decisive enforcement and commonsense immigration policies, the Southern Border is secure. Illegal crossings have reached record lows, drug trafficking has been curtailed, and communities across the country are safer.”