Byron Donalds, a Republican House member and a fierce supporter of President Trump, earned his party’s nomination for Florida governor on Tuesday night.
The 47-year-old has vowed to keep Florida the conservative bastion that the term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis made it over eight years and two terms. Mr. Donalds has campaigned on lowering Florida’s home insurance rates, modernizing government and expanding school choice, including vouchers for private education.
If elected, Mr. Donalds would become the first Black governor of Florida, where Republicans hold all statewide offices and supermajorities in both legislative chambers. Here are five things to know about him:
1. President Trump endorsed Mr. Donalds for governor last year — before the congressman from Naples, Fla., even declared his candidacy. The endorsement immediately made Mr. Donalds the favorite to earn the Republican nomination.
2. Mr. Trump was returning the political favor. In 2024, Mr. Donalds broke with other Florida Republicans by endorsing Mr. Trump, whose return to the White House was far from certain, instead of Mr. DeSantis. Mr. DeSantis did not endorse anyone for the Republican nomination to succeed him, passing over even his handpicked lieutenant governor, Jay Collins.
3. Mr. Donalds has proved a fund-raising juggernaut, raising more than $100 million, far outpacing his Republican rivals and David Jolly, his Democratic opponent in the November election. Mr. Donalds is considered the favorite to win the election in a state where registered Republicans handily outnumber Democrats.
4. Mr. Donalds grew up in New York City and moved to Florida for college. He met his wife, Erika, at Florida State University, and the two later settled in Naples. A father of three and an avid basketball fan, Mr. Donalds used to work in financial services. He got his start in public life as an activist with the Naples Tea Party, part of a larger grass-roots movement that objected to spending and financial bailouts under the Obama administration.
5. Mr. Donalds first ran for Congress in 2012, a race he lost. Four years later, he was elected to the Florida Legislature. Voters elected him to Congress in 2020, where he emerged as part of a new generation of Trump-aligned Republicans. Mr. Donalds has been a Trump stalwart, frequently defending him in media appearances while sparring with Democrats.
