Can anyone stop Byron Donalds from becoming Florida’s next governor?
There’s still more than 10 months until Floridians elect a successor to Ron DeSantis, but there’s no question the Naples Republican is in the pole position after his campaign announced Thursday that he has raised more than $40 million since February.
How impressive is that?
“For perspective, that is 2½ times what then-candidate Ron DeSantis raised and $3 million more than Adam Putnam raised in total in the last open Republican gubernatorial primary in 2018,” writes Ryan Smith, the Donalds’ campaign’s chief strategist, in a memo published Thursday.
Donalds also continues to dominate in most public-opinion polls of the candidates running in the August 2026 Republican primary, despite having yet to air a single television ad.
A survey of 800 Republican primary voters taken Dec. 8-9 by The American Promise showed Donalds with a 27-point lead over Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, 38%-9%. (While Collins is not a declared candidate for governor, a political committee has been running ads for weeks in certain key Florida media markets touting him as such. Pollster Ryan Tyson said in a memo that the survey was taken to determine whether those ads helped Collins at all. It appears they have not).
In addition to being endorsed by Donald Trump, Donalds is backed by Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott as well as 17 of the state’s 20 members of Congress and 63 members of the Florida House of Representatives.
The other major Republican candidates are former House Speaker Paul Renner and investment firm CEO James Fishback.
Former GOP U.S. Rep. David Jolly and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings are the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2026.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.
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