Florida state Sen. Bryan Ávila speaks after U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, at left, selected Avila as his running mate in Donald’s campaign for governor, at the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami, on Aug. 24, 2026.
PHOTO BY AL DIAZ
adiaz@miamiherald.com
Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds announced on Tuesday morning that Bryan Avila, a state senator from Hialeah, will be his running mate, formally adding a lieutenant governor candidate as he ramps up his campaign for the November general election.
Donalds, who last week secured the Republican nomination, made the announcement during his “Defending the Florida Dream” tour stop 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.
Avila 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 Avila’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. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com
“Bryan Avila 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 Avila, 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 local leaders including Avila in Hialeah to launch a ‘Latinos for Byron’ coalition aimed at galvanizing Hispanic voters to support his ticket.
Avila, 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. Avila became a state senator in 2022. Donalds pointed to Avila’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.
He also highlighted legislation that Avila 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.
Avila focused on affordability when he took the stage in Miami next to Donalds on Tuesday, 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,” Avila 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. 24, 2026. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com
“They have embraced socialism, and that socialism is not going to allow for Florida to thrive,” Donalds said Tuesday.
Avila echoed: “With Byron Donalds as governor, and me as your lieutenant governor, socialism will never find a home in the great state of Florida.”
Jolly, who’s been campaigning against divisiveness in politics, issued a statement congratulating Avila shortly after Tuesday’s announcement.
“I congratulate former State Sen. Bryan Avila on his selection as the Republican Lieutenant Governor nominee. 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.”
This story was originally published August 25, 2026 at 10:40 AM.
Miami Herald
Churchill Ndonwie is an Esserman Investigative Fellow at The Miami Herald. Before this role, he was an Ida B. Wells investigative intern with the New York Times, where he examined the hidden pipeline of undocumented workers into U.S. factories and the victimization those individuals experienced. He was also a Global Migrations Fellow at Columbia Journalism Investigations, where he worked with Reuters to investigate and reveal the smuggling routes through commercial and charter airlines used to facilitate illegal immigration to the U.S. Southern border from India and West Africa.
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Miami Herald
Claire Heddles is the Miami Herald’s senior political correspondent. She previously covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C at NOTUS. She’s also worked as a public radio reporter covering local government and education in East Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida.