Republican Congressman Donalds announces run for Florida governor

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By Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican U.S. Representative 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.

Casey DeSantis, the wife of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has signaled she was considering a run, NBC News reported earlier this month. Former U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz, who was briefly nominated to serve as Trump’s attorney general, has also expressed interest in a run.

Florida has a limit of two consecutive four-year terms for governor. As a result, Florida will have to elect a new governor in 2026 once incumbent DeSantis, who is already serving his second term, leaves office.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Michael Perry)