Byron Donalds packs pre-election schedule with stops across Florida, and some special guests

Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds will rally voters across the state this weekend and on Monday, with planned stops in Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Seminole, and Sumter counties.

The stops are part of Donalds’ “Defending the Florida Dream” bus tour, and each will include “special guests” to help get out the vote in the waning days of the 2026 Midterms.

Donalds kicked off the “Defending the Florida Dream” tour in April. The statewide tour is designed to tackle the issues that matter most to Floridians, according to Donalds’ campaign. Donalds has also used tour stops to offer “a roadmap for protecting the Florida Dream and making it attainable for the next generation.”

Donalds’ first stop is Saturday in Sumter County. He’ll rally at the Brownwood Hotel & Spa, 3003 Brownwood Blvd. in The Villages, at 9 a.m. Doors open at 8:15 a.m.

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, both appointed to their posts and now seeking election in their own right, will also be on hand.

Donalds heads to Seminole County on Sunday, with a stop at The Barn, 1200 S. French Ave. in Sanford. Doors open at 12:15 p.m. for the 1 p.m. event. Moody and Ingoglia are also scheduled to appear.

Later Sunday, Gov. Ron DeSantis will join Donalds in Hillsborough County at the Cuban Civic Club, 10905 Memorial Highway in Tampa. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. for the 6 p.m. event.

Donalds will close out this leg of the tour Monday at 3:45 p.m. at Ascension FBO, 8191 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. There, Donalds will pull out all the stops, with special guests including Moody and Ingoglia, as well as retiring U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, Attorney General James Uthmeier, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. Doors open at 3 p.m.

Donalds, like candidates up and down the ballot, is in the final days of campaigning ahead of Election Day on Tuesday. A St. Pete Polls survey this week found Donalds leading Democratic nominee David Jolly within the margin of error, 48% to 46%, suggesting a close race despite the GOP’s 1.5-million-voter registration advantage.