GOP Rep. Byron Donalds on Tuesday announced he will run to be the next governor of his home state of Florida.
“I was able to serve four years in the state legislature, four years in Congress. And I think now is the time to now take the mantle and lead our state into the future,” he told Fox News.
Donalds, who is a three-term congressman, has represented Florida’s 19th congressional district, which includes the cities of Fort Myers and Naples, since 2021. He unsuccessfully ran for speaker of the House of Representatives after Kevin McCarthy was ousted in 2023.
He was an early supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump during his first presidential campaign in 2016. The president endorsed Donalds days before the congressman announced his gubernatorial run.
“I know Byron well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a TOTAL WINNER!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday.
Trump said he would work closely with Donalds as governor, adding that the current congressman would help advance much of his agenda, including protecting the U.S. border and defending the second amendment.