The Next Step

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds is trading Congress for the governor's mansion. The Florida congressman won the Republican nomination for governor and heads to the general election in November. Donalds announced in February 2025 that he'll run for governor in 2026 with President Donald Trump's backing.

It's a significant leap for Donalds, who has represented Florida's 19th congressional district since 2021. He won his last House race decisively: 66% of the vote to Democrat Kari Lerner's 34% in 2024.

Who Is Byron Donalds?

Donalds, 46, was born in Brooklyn but made his political home in Florida. He earned his degree from Florida State University in 2002 and served in the state House from 2016 to 2020 before heading to Congress.

In Washington, he's made a name for himself as a conservative firebrand. He's a member of the House Freedom Caucus and sits on the Financial Services and Oversight committees. He's also become a media fixture: he appeared on Fox News weekday programs nearly 200 times in his first two and a half years in Congress and has amassed over 528,000 followers on X.

But his legislative record is thin. None of his bills have become law, though he's spoken at 18 congressional hearings and been mentioned in 549 news articles.

The Speaker Bid

Donalds got national attention in October 2023 when he ran for House Speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted. He finished as the runner-up, receiving as many as 33 votes in the Republican conference vote, a strong showing that elevated his profile.

Earlier that year, he initially backed McCarthy but switched to Jim Jordan on the third ballot. He ultimately supported McCarthy on the 12th ballot, earning seats on the Financial Services Committee and the Republican Steering Committee as a reward.

In 2022, he'd already tried climbing the leadership ladder, running for Republican conference chair against Elise Stefanik. He lost badly: 144-74.

Trump's Right Hand

Donalds became one of Trump's most visible surrogates during the 2024 campaign. He endorsed Trump in April 2023 and was a regular presence at Trump events.

In June 2024, Donalds drew controversy at a Trump rally in Philadelphia when he said, "During Jim Crow, the Black family was together," a statement that appeared to express nostalgia for the era of racial segregation.

The 2026 Showdown

The gubernatorial race will be a test: Can Donalds translate his House seat and Trump's endorsement into statewide power?

He'll face Democrat David Jolly, a former congressman himself, in what shapes up as a matchup between two Washington veterans seeking a new chapter in Florida politics.

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