Who is Byron Donalds and what is Donalds running on in the 2026 Florida Governor race?

Byron Donalds is the Republican candidate for Florida governor. U.S. Representative from Southwest Florida; Trump-endorsed; won the Aug 18, 2026 GOP primary with 47.8%. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

The race

• The seat: Open seat (Ron DeSantis, R, term-limited).
• Rating: Solid R (Cook, per Newsweek July 2026).
• Polling: Donalds 45, Jolly 38 among likely voters (August 2026 poll cited by DeFi Rate, Sept 28, 2026); UNF (July 2026) Donalds 46, Jolly 41.

Why Donalds is ahead

• Trump won Florida by 13 points in 2024; Republicans have held the governorship since 1999 and Democrats have not won statewide since 2018.
• Huge money gap: Donalds and allied groups raised over $100M vs about $10M for Jolly.
• Donalds has Trump’s endorsement and won the Aug 18 primary with 47.8% over Lt. Gov. Jay Collins.
• Jolly has tied or led in several polls (e.g. Change Research +6 in July) on an affordability message, but many voters still do not know him.

What Donalds is running on

• Trump. Runs as a conservative successor committed to Trump’s agenda.
• Immigration. Pledges to fight illegal immigration.
• Contrast messaging. Ran ads attacking California Gov. Gavin Newsom to frame the general election.

The other candidates

• David Jolly (D)

Every race

See every Senate and governor race on the ballot, with each candidate’s chance of winning: the 2026 midterms at a glance.