Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is ineligible to run again in the next Florida gubernatorial election in 2026 and will leave office in Jan. 2027.
And while many political insiders say DeSantis may be able to name the frontrunner for his replacement, it’s President Donald Trump who has already named who he believes should replace DeSantis.
And the man Trump has endorsed to replace DeSantis is already a lock, according to officials.
Yesterday, Trump officially endorsed loyal supporter Rep. Byron Donalds for the job.
In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump urged Donalds to run and called him a “highly respected congressman” and a “TOTAL WINNER” who’d been “tested at the highest and most difficult levels.”
Donalds has yet to officially make a run for the state’s top spot.
Donalds responded to Trump’s endorsement about an hour later with his own social media post that suggested he is planning on jumping into the race very soon.
Donalds said that “President Trump is Making America Great Again. I’m committed to working with him to Keep Florida Great. Announcement coming soon!”
https://x.com/ByronDonalds/status/1892732751880593876
Trump not only lives in Florida, but has a lot of political influence in the state.
Trump won by 13 points in November and that he has called home since 2019.
The early announcement from Trump comes as speculation from Florida political insiders initially indicated that DeSantis’ wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, would run for her husband’s job and as the governor.
But even DeSantis’ supporters indicated that Trump’s endorsement of Daniels pretty much sealed the deal.
“Looks like that’s that,” one Ron DeSantis donor and supporter texted POLITICO upon seeing Trump’s social media post.
Earlier this week Trump posted a poll that showed Donalds in the lead of possible candidates.
The poll did not assess how well the congressman fared against Casey DeSantis but another one, from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab, found her favorables were twice as high as his.
Trump endorsed Donalds before speaking at the Republican Governors Association’s annual meeting in Washington.
His 2018 endorsement of Ron DeSantis for governor — which came late in the primary — helped propel him from a relatively unknown member of Congress to the lead candidate.
Trump would later say that he regretted that decision when Ron DeSantis unsuccessfully challenged him for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, though the two appear to have mostly made amends.
Though Donalds hasn’t formally announced his intention to run for governor of Florida, NBC News reported that he told donors at a Republican meeting in January that he was considering it.
He also showed signs of his intentions when he hired Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio and fundraiser Megan McKinley, who worked for Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
During the presidential race Trump teased Donalds about running for governor, bringing it up at rallies and fundraisers.
Donalds campaigned for Trump in 2024 and helped his outreach with Black voters.
Should Donalds run and win, he’d be the first Black governor of Florida.