Ron DeSantis endorses Byron Donalds for Florida governor in 2026 race

DeSantis introduced Donalds as part of a winning Republican ticket for 2026, alongside Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. DeSantis is term-limited and had not made public endorsements prior to the August primary election, in which Donalds defeated his lieutenant governor, Jay Collins, by more than 380,000 votes. Byron Donalds stated on social media that he was honored to receive the endorsement. He noted that DeSantis has done significant work to make Florida the envy of America and pledged to build on that success. Donalds will face Democratic candidate David Jolly in the November election. Mark Riddle, a senior advisor for the Jolly-Graham campaign, stated that David Jolly is running to lower costs and improve education, while Byron Donalds represents more of the same.