Trump-backed Byron Donalds makes his campaign debut in the 2026 race to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis

The 2026 Florida governor’s race is already heating up as U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds — who is backed by President Donald Trump — opens his campaign Friday evening with a rally in his hometown of Bonita Springs in southwest Florida.

Donalds’ campaign stop at Sugarshack, a live music venue and restaurant in downtown Bonita Springs, comes a month after he officially announced his run to replace Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose term is expiring.

So far, Donalds, 46, has no major challenger in the Republican primary. But DeSantis had hinted previously that his wife, Casey DeSantis, would be a worthy candidate to continue his administration’s legacy.

DeSantis and his wife have visited South Florida to see Trump since the Donalds announcement. They also played golf with Trump in early March at the Trump International Golf Course.

For Donalds, the next step is to begin securing endorsements among Florida legislators and the state’s congressional delegation, many of whom are close allies of DeSantis.

Any Republican who joins the race after may face hurdles in finding Republican donors to back them since Donalds has secured Trump’s endorsement. Trump’s endorsement in other gubernatorial and congressional races has been shown to have massive influence in helping elect candidates, including DeSantis in 2018.

Other than Casey DeSantis, potential GOP candidates include former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who said in January that he was considering a run, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who sparred with the governor over immigration policies earlier this year.

Donalds may not have a lot of name recognition across Florida, but he has been a staunch Trump ally.

He is a Republican from Brooklyn, New York, who now lives in Naples with his wife and three sons. He was elected in 2020 to the U.S. House, and he is part of the conservative congressional Tea Party caucus and is highly regarded by Republican colleagues in his circle. He was also on a short list of people considered to be Trump’s vice presidential running mate last year.

Story from local10.com