WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., has been telling potential donors and Florida political players that he is running for governor in 2026, the clearest signal yet that his much-expected bid is moving forward.
Donalds, who represents southwest Florida, has long been rumored to be considering a campaign to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, but those rumors have ramped up in recent days. Last weekend, at a state Republican Party meeting in Orlando, Donalds sponsored a hospitality suite and told people he is running.
In the past week, he has sent an even clearer sign of his intentions in a series of meetings with key lobbyists and political donors.
The account of Donalds' preparations come from five sources familiar with the meetings and his thinking.
“He was in town [Tallahassee] meeting with all the folks you need to meet with. He told them he is in,” a source who met with Donalds said. “It’s the steps any candidate takes as they prepare to run for governor.”
Donalds told NBC News: “I’m fully focused on helping President Trump pass his America First Agenda. Florida will proudly lead the way.”
The Republican field to replace DeSantis was once seen to be as big as five or six candidates, but with state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis running for Congress and state Attorney General Ashley Moody most likely being appointed to fill the Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, the field has considerably narrowed.
The two most prominent Republican names now considered to be running are Donalds and state Agriculture Commission Wilton Simpson, who previously was president of the state Senate.
Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who recently took a job as an anchor on the conservative TV network OAN, has also publicly signaled he is considering a run, which was first reported by the Tampa Bay Times.
"Florida needs a Governor who can break the control insurance companies have over Tallahassee. I can do that, so it’s something Ginger and I are considering," Gaetz said in a message to NBC News, referring to his wife.
Simpson’s team did not respond to requests for comment.
Donalds is considered a close ally of Trump and a mainstay on cable news channels, giving him a high profile and ability to raise significant out-of-state money. But Simpson is a longtime veteran of Florida politics with $30 million already in the bank, making him a formidable potential candidate.
The forthcoming nationally watched Republican primary for governor will almost certainly hinge on one thing: Trump.
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Florida, where Trump resides, is now a solidly red state after years of Republican domination, and Trump won it by nearly 15 percentage points. He is seen as the biggest kingmaker in Florida politics, including its coming midterm race for governor.
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Simpson has a long relationship with Trump's incoming White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, as does Donalds. Donalds is viewed as having a closer direct relationship with Trump after having served as one of his most vocal 2024 allies and closest congressional confidants.
In addition, Donalds has hired as one of his top Florida advisers Ryan Smith, a former business partner with James Blair, the political director of Trump’s 2024 campaign, who will now serve as a top administration official.
Along with Smith, Donalds is working with Brad Herold, a veteran of Florida Republican politics, who was one of the top early advisers for DeSantis when he made his underdog bid for governor in 2018. Donalds has also hired Tony Fabrizio, who was a top Trump pollster, and fundraiser Megan McKinley, who has worked for Rubio and Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, former chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
While the field has narrowed, DeSantis himself is seen as a potential wild card.
He was once so close with Donalds that Donalds introduced DeSantis and his family at his re-election night party in 2022. The two have had a swift falling out, however, after Donalds backed Trump in the GOP presidential primary. DeSantis has never been close with Simpson, making it unlikely he would endorse him.
To find a candidate he could formally back, two people familiar with his thinking said, DeSantis could appoint Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez to become president of Florida International University, her alma mater, and her replacement would be viewed as DeSantis’ preferred pick to run for governor to replace him.
There is not yet a short list for who could be in line for that position.
There is no set timeline for when Donalds or any other candidate would make their bids official, but there are concerns about his leaving Congress too soon with Republicans holding a slim majority in the House.
The timeline for any announcement could hinge, in part, on the conclusion of two special congressional races in Florida necessitated by Gaetz’s resignation from the House and Trump’s selecting Rep. Mike Waltz as his national security adviser. Patronis and state Rep. Randy Fine, respectively, are heavily favored in the races for those seats, which lean Republican.
The special election for both seats is set for April 1.
