U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is making his turnout push from a firehouse.
The Republican front-runner for Governor will host a Get Out the Vote rally Saturday at the Tampa Firefighters Museum, 720 E. Zack St. in downtown Tampa. The event begins at 1:30 p.m., the same day the statewide early voting window opens for the Aug. 18 Primary.
The Naples Congressman has led the field since President Donald Trump endorsed him in February 2025. The latest public polling, from the James Madison Institute, puts him at 49% among Republican likely voters, on the doorstep of majority support. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins runs a distant second at 18%.
Donalds has been talking like a candidate who wants more. During a radio hit this week, he said his team “knew that it would be tougher” this cycle, but promised to “engage every voter in the state, every household in the state.”
“We have a good lead now, but we want it to be better,” he added.
Tampa Bay has seen plenty of the campaign already. Donalds celebrated qualifying in June at Hotel Haya in Ybor City, capping a two-day, seven-county swing. His campaign said then it had raised more than $81 million and knocked on more than 100,000 doors.
Hillsborough County opened early voting sites Aug. 3, but the mandatory statewide early voting period runs Saturday through Aug. 15. Vote-by-mail ballots must reach Supervisors of Elections by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
The Primary winner will almost certainly face former Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly, the presumptive Democratic nominee, in November. The JMI survey showed Donalds leading Jolly 45% to 38% among likely voters, closer than Republicans are used to at the top of the ticket but a solid cushion heading into the stretch run.
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Ed. note: This story was drafted with assistance from AI. Editorial judgment, sourcing, and final review were performed by Peter Schorsch and the Florida Politics editorial team.
