Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially endorsed Republican Rep. Byron Donalds to succeed him as governor, putting his support behind the Trump-endorsed congressman following months of uncertainty over the high-profile race.
DeSantis announced his endorsement Tuesday night during the Florida Republican Party’s Leadership Forum in Tampa, where some of the state’s most prominent GOP officials gathered ahead of November’s elections.
The governor endorsed Donalds as part of a broader Republican statewide slate, saying supporting the party’s nominees was important for Florida’s future.
Joining Donalds on the stage were Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, all of whom also received DeSantis’ backing.
“Tonight I was honored to earn Governor Ron DeSantis’s endorsement,” Donalds said following the event.
Donalds praised DeSantis’ record in Tallahassee and pledged to build upon the conservative policies that have transformed Florida into one of the Republican Party’s strongest states.
“Governor DeSantis has done incredible work to make Florida the envy of America,” Donalds said. “As your next Governor, I will build on his success and defend the Florida Dream.”
The endorsement formally unites two major factions of Florida’s Republican Party after DeSantis declined to endorse Donalds during the GOP primary.
President Donald Trump backed Donalds well before the congressman officially entered the gubernatorial race, repeatedly making clear that he considered Donalds his preferred candidate to succeed DeSantis.
Donalds ultimately cruised to victory in the August Republican primary, defeating a field that included Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and several other candidates.
Collins had positioned himself as a strong defender of DeSantis’ legacy and was appointed lieutenant governor by DeSantis, but the governor remained neutral during the primary.
With the nomination settled, DeSantis is now putting the intraparty competition behind him and rallying Republicans around Donalds for the general election.
Donalds will face Democratic nominee David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who later left the GOP and is now running for governor as a Democrat.
The contest will determine who succeeds DeSantis after eight years of Republican leadership under his administration.
DeSantis cannot run for another consecutive term under the Florida Constitution, which prevents someone who has served more than six years across two consecutive gubernatorial terms from immediately seeking another term.
Florida has moved sharply toward Republicans during DeSantis’ tenure, with the governor winning reelection by nearly 20 percentage points in 2022 and Trump carrying the state comfortably in subsequent presidential elections.
Donalds is campaigning on continuing that conservative direction while advancing Trump’s agenda at the state level, including tougher immigration enforcement, lower taxes, deregulation, infrastructure expansion and continued Everglades restoration.
With Trump and DeSantis now both behind him, Donalds heads into the general election with the backing of the two most influential Republican figures in Florida politics and a clear message to voters: preserve the conservative policies that have reshaped the Sunshine State.
The post Ron DeSantis Endorses Byron Donalds for Florida Governor appeared first on Real News Now.
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