WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds said Sunday he would not immediately seek to repeal state vaccine requirements for polio and measles, mumps and rubella, saying those mandates should first be studied and discussed with lawmakers.

Donalds made the comments during an interview with Margaret Brennan on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” as he campaigns to become Florida’s next governor.

Brennan asked Donalds whether, if elected, he would work with the Florida Department of Health and the state Legislature to repeal vaccine mandates.

Donalds pointed to actions already taken by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo regarding vaccine rules, saying he agrees with giving parents more authority over vaccination decisions for their children.

“When it comes to polio, MMR, those are things that we wanna make sure we study and really engage in before we make those determinations and work with the Legislature,” Donalds said.

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He stopped short of committing to repealing those requirements, saying decisions about vaccine mandates should come after further review.

Donalds also said he supports changing the vaccination schedule, arguing that spreading out vaccines could give infants more time to “absorb and deal with” vaccinations.

Donalds’ comments come as Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly has sharply criticized Ladapo’s approach to vaccines.

In February, Jolly said Ladapo wanted to end vaccine requirements and pledged to remove him if elected governor.

“Florida’s Surgeon General wants to end vaccine requirements, but we can do something about it,” Jolly said. “As Governor, I’ll fire the Surgeon General on Day One. Let’s bring back science, data, math, and support public health throughout our state. Join us!”

The Republican congressman then shifted the conversation to health care costs, saying he believes affordability is a bigger issue facing Floridians.

Donalds criticized the Affordable Care Act, saying premiums and deductibles have increased since the law was enacted.

His proposal would require doctors’ offices and hospitals to publicly post cash prices for their top two services, which he said would give Floridians more information when deciding where to receive care.

“I think that’s much more of a constructive conversation about costs and health care and trying to stabilize prices than just simply vaccinations,” Donalds said.

Donalds and Jolly are running for governor in 2026, seeking to succeed DeSantis, who is term-limited.