Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds announced on Tuesday that Bryan Ávila, a state senator from Hialeah, will be his running mate, pitching his campaign as a team of working men who pulled themselves up by the bootstraps.
With Ávila on board, Donalds is signaling that the duo will uphold family values, further Florida’s conservative record and defend the state against a Democratic ticket that, according to the GOP, is pushing a socialist agenda.
Donalds, a Naples congressman who last week secured the Republican nomination, made the announcement at the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College in downtown Miami.
He is set to face Democrat David Jolly and his running mate, Gwen Graham, in the race to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Ávila has deep Miami roots: His parents fled Cuba, he grew up in Hialeah, and got his education at Miami Springs High School, Miami Dade College, University of Miami and Florida International University.
Donalds touted Ávila’s family background while introducing his running mate.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds stands behind his newly announced running mate, state Sen. Bryan Ávila, at the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami.
“Bryan Ávila is the son of Cuban exiles who fled communism so their children could live in freedom,” Donalds told the crowd. “We didn’t inherit political names. We didn’t inherit the political birthright, but what we inherited was the responsibility to fight for the state that gave our families everything.”
The choice of lieutenant governor provides insight into how Donalds intends to assemble a statewide coalition in support of his ticket. By selecting Ávila, who is Cuban-American, and announcing it in Miami, the Donald campaign aims to connect with the Latino immigrant community and secure Miami-Dade County, a key battleground in the gubernatorial race.
In May, Donalds, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, joined Ávila and local leaders in Hialeah to launch a ‘Latinos for Byron’ coalition aimed at galvanizing Hispanic voters to support his ticket.
Ávila, a Florida Army National Guardsman, has represented parts of Hialeah and other Miami-Dade neighborhoods in the Florida Legislature since 2014. His time in the House overlapped with Donalds for four years before Donalds ran for Congress in 2020.
Ávila became a state senator in 2022. Donalds pointed to Ávila’s role in sponsoring Florida’s 2022 Stop WOKE legislation limiting how teachers can instruct about race and gender — a law that a U.S. Appeals Court has partially knocked down.
Donalds also highlighted legislation that Ávila sponsored in the state Senate regulating data centers — an issue that was a frequent attack point for Donalds’ Republican opponents, who said during the GOP primary that he was too cozy with the special interests behind the controversial complexes.
Ávila focused on affordability when he took the stage, calling out the fact that he sponsored the legislation putting property tax cuts on Florida’s ballot in November.
“For families across our state, they are finding it hard to afford. I know it, especially because I’m raising my family here too. A lot of our families are concerned when they see their property tax bill,” Ávila said. “They’re concerned when they see their electric bill. They’re concerned when they go to the grocery store. They’re concerned when they see their insurance premium due.”
The new Republican gubernatorial ticket also emphasized the perceived threat of socialism during Tuesday’s event, pointing to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon’s recent decision to join the Democratic Socialists of America.
That group did not endorse Nixon’s primary campaign, and she has repeatedly told reporters she joined the party — as well as other smaller progressive political groups — because of their support of Medicare for All, but does not identify as a socialist.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds introduces state Sen. Bryan Ávila as his running mate, at the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami, on Aug. 25, 2026.
“They have embraced socialism, and that socialism is not going to allow for Florida to thrive,” Donalds said Tuesday.
Ávila echoed: “With Byron Donalds as governor, and me as your lieutenant governor, socialism will never find a home in the great state of Florida.”
The message resonated with the many Cuban Americans who cheered on the newly nominated lieutenant governor.
Lucia Sanabria, who is Cuban and has been lived in Miami for over 40 years said Ávila is “is a good choice.”
“We don’t want any communist in Miami, at least in Florida. Nothing like New York or any other cities,” she said.
Jolly, who’s been campaigning against divisiveness in politics, issued a statement congratulating Ávila shortly after Tuesday’s announcement.
“I wish him well,” Jolly said. “But, let’s be honest: this race won’t come down to Byron Donalds’ relationship with Avila, it will come down to Byron’s relationship with Donald Trump.”