President Donald Trump shared early polling results for the 2026 gubernatorial race in Florida favoring Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) on Monday, the first time the president has indicated any level of support for a candidate since retaking the White House.
A poll from Victory Insights found Donalds “far ahead” of other contenders in a hypothetical primary, with the Florida congressman receiving 31% support. Others, including Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, received single-digit support.
Trump shared the poll’s results and a list of Donalds’s “notable committed supporters” to his Truth Social account Monday. He has not made any endorsement in the race, and Donalds is not officially a contender, though the congressman has made several indications he will run to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who terms out in 2026.
Donalds sidestepped a question on his plans for 2026 during his recent appearance on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, a controversial visit that led the congressman to be accused of proxy voting, which is against House rules.
“Nobody’s in the race right now, so we’ll see what happens,” Donalds said.
The congressman said it was “really cool” to see him polling ahead of possible gubernatorial candidates on PBD Podcast and noted his relationship with DeSantis “frayed” after Donalds endorsed Trump over the governor in the 2024 election.
Donalds also led the Victory Insights poll a year ago, outperforming possible candidates including Matt Gaetz, Mike Waltz, and Jimmy Patronis. With Waltz in the administration and Patronis on track to replace Gaetz in the House of Representatives, the field is clearing up for Donalds to clinch the Republican nomination.
In Donalds’s way to an easy primary win is Gaetz, who withdrew his nomination for attorney general after it was clear his selection was marred by numerous ethics investigations against him. The former congressman-turned-conservative talk show host told the Tampa Bay Times in January he was “starting to think about running for governor,” arguing he has a “compelling vision for the state.”
A primary fight between Donalds and Gaetz would place Trump in the middle of a tug-of-war for his endorsement, with both men being staunch Trump supporters over the years. Donalds has the likeability factor on his side, as Gaetz was infamously known for making few friends during his time in Washington and angering both Republicans and Democrats with his antics over the years.
Gaetz’s gubernatorial bid would also come under the cloud of the damning ethics report released by the House Ethics Committee that found “substantial evidence” that he used illegal drugs, accepted gifts outside of allowable limits, paid women for sex, and had sex with a 17-year-old girl during his time in Congress.
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Florida first lady Casey DeSantis is also reportedly being pushed by top GOP donors to run for the governorship, but the governor has said “she’s not seeking to do anything.”
“But it’s flattering that people are asking her to do it,” Gov. DeSantis said last week.
