Who Is Byron Donalds? Trump-Backed Republican Running for Florida Governor

U.S. Representative Byron Donalds (R-Southwest Florida) joined President Donald Trump’s bid for governor of Florida in February 2025. He seeks the Republican nomination to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is not allowed to run for a third consecutive term under Florida’s term limits.

The Republican primary will be Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. Donalds started Election Day as the frontrunner in the GOP field, which also includes Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former state House speaker Paul Renner and businessman James Fishback.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Donalds, 46, arrived in Florida at age 17. His congressional biography has him going to Florida A&M University and graduating from Florida State University in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing. Now he resides in Naples with his wife, Erika, and three sons.

Donalds held two terms as a member of the Florida House of Representatives before becoming a member of Congress. For the first time, he was elected to the U.S. House in 2020 and took office in January 2021. He serves as the representative for the 19th Congressional District, which comprises part of Lee and Collier counties.

During the 119th Congress, Donalds will be a member of the House Financial Services Committee and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. His assignments within Financial Services include the Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee and the Financial Institutions Subcommittee.

Donalds was also nominated for Speaker during the January 2023 House Speaker election. On one ballot, he received 20 votes after Rep. Chip Roy nominated him. He was also considered among Republicans who could potentially serve in House leadership and was discussed as a possible vice presidential contender before the 2024 election.

When Donalds announced his gubernatorial campaign on Fox News in February 2025, he presented the bid as an effort to continue Florida’s political direction under Republican leadership.

“Florida is not going to stop leading,” he said. “We’re going to build off of what we’ve done, and we are going to continue to lead bigger, better, faster, greater, safer, freer, because the American dream is for everybody, and we’re going to show the other 49 states how to get it done.”

Trump’s Backing and the Primary Field

Trump endorsed Donalds before the congressman formally entered the race. Trump said on Truth Social that Donalds would have his “Complete and Total Endorsement” if he ran. Donalds announced his candidacy several days later.

In the endorsement referenced by Donalds’ campaign, Trump wrote: “I know Byron well, have seen him tested at the highest, most difficult levels, and he is a TOTAL WINNER!” Trump added, “As Governor, Byron would have a BIG Voice and would work closely with me to advance our America First Agenda.”

Donalds entered the Republican primary against Collins, Renner and Fishback. Polling before the primary consistently showed him with an advantage over his Republican rivals. A July polling roundup, for example, showed Donalds leading Collins, Fishback and Renner in several surveys conducted that month.

The Republican primary is taking place Aug. 18, meaning the eventual general election matchup was not yet formally determined when the latest pre-primary polling was conducted.

The Money Gap

Campaign finance reporting published in July 2025 showed Donalds had raised nearly $10.2 million through his political committee and main campaign account during a three-month period, compared with about $1 million raised by Democrat David Jolly after Jolly entered the race in late April 2025.

Donalds’ campaign later reported substantially higher cumulative fundraising, saying in July 2026 that it had raised more than $90 million. Because the figures cover different reporting periods and fundraising entities, they should not be treated as directly comparable without reviewing the underlying campaign-finance filings.

Florida’s voter-registration figures also give Republicans a statewide numerical advantage. As of June 30, 2026, the state reported 5,569,028 active Republican voters and 4,040,000 active Democratic voters – a Republican advantage of 1,529,028 voters.

The General Election Matchup

David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who represented a Tampa-area district from 2014 to 2017, switched to the Democratic Party and entered the Florida governor’s race in 2025. He has campaigned on issues including housing and insurance costs, public education and gun policy.

A University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab poll conducted July 8-17 showed Donalds leading Jolly 46% to 41% among 848 likely Florida midterm voters. Six percent were undecided, while 5% said they would support another candidate. The poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

The results indicate a competitive potential matchup but do not establish the outcome of the November election. The survey was conducted before the Aug. 18 primary elections, and the nominees were not yet formally selected when the poll was conducted.

Donalds’ campaign has sought to frame the potential general election as a choice between its Republican agenda and Jolly’s policy positions.

“Florida voters don’t want liberal David Jolly’s self-described ‘far left’ policies that will raise taxes, make life more expensive, jeopardize public safety, and import the Democrats’ radical agenda to our state,” said Ryan Smith, chief strategist for the Byron Donalds campaign. “Byron Donalds will be our next governor because he will keep Florida thriving with common-sense policies to make life in the Sunshine State safer, healthier, and more affordable.”

Florida’s Republican voter-registration advantage and history of Republican statewide victories provide important context for the race. However, the latest UNF poll shows the potential Donalds-Jolly matchup within five percentage points, with a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.

The Florida governor’s general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026. The Republican and Democratic nominees will be determined by the Aug. 18 primary elections, with other candidates also eligible to appear on the November ballot.