President Donald Trump shared a poll Monday showing Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) far outpacing potential competitors in the 2026 Florida Republican gubernatorial primary.
The poll results showed Donalds with a massive 27-point lead over his closest competitor, Jeanette Nuñez.
Trump’s Truth Social post sharing the screenshotted tweet from Victory Insights, a Florida polling firm, also included a list of dozens of “Notable Committed Supporters” of Donalds’ run, including prominent Republican powerbrokers and even Trump cabinet members, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Donalds has not announced his candidacy, although he has long been rumored to eye the top job in Tallahassee. Perhaps more important than the poll results, Trump’s post is a strong signal that Donalds would have Trump’s backing — the most powerful endorsement in Republican politics.
Trump’s post comes amid reports that Florida first lady Casey DeSantis is considering entering politics by running for the seat currently held by her husband Ron, who unsuccessfully challenged Trump in the 2024 Republican primary.
Donalds, a mainstay on cable news, was an active Trump surrogate in 2024, participating in dozens of events and media interviews for the campaign.
Trump appears to appreciate Donalds’ work.
The Florida congressman was on Trump’s vice president shortlist in 2024. And at Trump’s Inauguration Day indoor parade at Capitol One Arena, Donalds was the only member of Congress to join Trump and his family on stage.
“What a future this one has,” Trump told the crowd regarding Donalds.
Donalds has been active in Congress as well, leading the fight with Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) to impose sanctions on Colombia for refusing to take back its citizens who illegally came to the United States. In May 2024, the pair introduced legislation to force President Joe Biden to use all available detention space for migrants arriving at the United States-Mexico border while streamlining a federal program to make it easier to deport illegal aliens. And in January, Donalds joined legislation to sanction Colombia after the country’s president reportedly denied entry to two planes carrying deported migrants from the U.S.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
