Florida Representative Byron Donalds is well on his way to the Florida governorship. An African- American conservative spokesperson for family values, fiscal responsibility and parental control of education is likely to be well received by Florida voters from Pensacola to Everglades City. Liberals who oppose Donalds’ articulate elocution of conservative values risk being cast aside as out of touch leftists who will not receive a hearing from Florida voters, especially seniors who are more interested in protecting retirement accounts than they are in launching new government sponsored programs.
Governor DeSantis does not want to see Donalds as his successor. The governor has also dissed the candidacy of former Speaker of the House Paul Renner, calling his entry into the race as “ill advised.”He would prefer someone of his own choosing, perhaps newly chosen Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins.
But DeSantis dithered while Donalds moved aggressively forward with President Trump’s endorsement. In politics, timing matters. As much as I like Governor DeSantis his timing in this situation has been puzzling. Perhaps the governor was buying time while First Lady Casey DeSantis considered a candidacy to succeed her husband. He left the office of lieutenant governor vacant from February 16th until August 12th. DeSantis’ political future lies in making peace with Trump and definitely not in striking out on his own in opposition to Trump. DeSantis’ desire for a successor other than Donalds is further complicated by his distaste for Renner. With any potential opposition to Donalds split between Renner and a DeSantis-backed candidate the possibility of denying Donalds the Republican nomination all but disappears.
Current polling shows Donalds with a commanding lead in a multi-candidate field and in a one-on-one match-up against either the first lady, the lieutenant governor or the former speaker.
Additionally, there is the money. As of September 30, Donalds had raised $31.5 million. Of that total, $9.2 million came in during the third quarter. Those are impressive numbers and should give serious pause to any Republican considering a primary battle against Donalds.
On the Democratic side former Republican Congressman David Jolly is seeking his adopted party’s nomination. While Jolly would be a credible nominee it is difficult to see him, or any Democrat, making a general election contest versus Donalds truly competitive.
And there is this. As we approach the end of 2025, registered Republican voters outnumber Democrats by more than 1.3 million voters. That is a massive swing from 2018 when Governor DeSantis was first elected by less than 1% and there were 263,000 more Democrats than Republicans.
The 2026 election offers Florida Republicans the opportunity to confirm America’s third largest state as solidly red. It is an opportunity the GOP is not likely to miss.
Kevin Igoe is the former deputy chief of staff of the Republican National Committee and former executive director of the Maryland Republican Party. He served on the Washington staff of former Representative Connie Mack III and was a Reagan White House appointee. He is a resident of Bonita Springs.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Byron Donalds is on his way to governorship | Opinion
Reporting by Kevin Igoe / Fort Myers News-Press
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