It now appears Byron Donalds will be forced to grind it out in a race that could turn bitter and nasty quickly.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — President Donald Trump’s endorsement was supposed to clear the field for Rep. Byron Donalds. Instead, the GOP governor’s race in Florida is veering toward a bitter and unpredictable brawl — with Gov. Ron DeSantis and his clout still lurking, adding to the drama in the fight to succeed him.
Donalds has every reason to expect a glide path to the nomination: He’s got Trump behind him, support from many top state Republicans, millions in his campaign accounts and a steady presence on Fox News. Polls show him far out in front of other GOP hopefuls.
But instead of the field collapsing, Donalds is drawing in new challengers with sharper attacks — including allies of term-limited DeSantis.
The result is a disjointed and increasingly nasty primary in the nation’s third-largest state — one unfolding as Republicans continue to widen their voter registration advantage in the former battleground.
DeSantis has still not publicly backed any Donalds rival, and speculation abounds as to what steps he may be taking to block him. His pick for lieutenant governor — Jay Collins — appears poised to jump in the race, though it’s unclear if DeSantis will back him if he does.
In short, Florida’s GOP primary is getting messy.
“He just knows he doesn’t want Byron to be governor, but there isn’t a solid plan to stop him,” said one longtime Republican consultant familiar with DeSantis’ thinking, who was granted anonymity to candidly discuss the state of the race.
This past week saw investor and online provocateur James Fishback splash into the governor’s race, where he immediately ripped into Donalds and even called the Black Republican a “slave” to donors and corporate interests. Even before he entered the contest, Fishback clashed online with top Trump advisers, including deputy chief of staff James Blair. On a conservative podcast this week, Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz called Fishback a “total scam artist.”
Meanwhile, Collins keeps inching closer to his own candidacy and has ratcheted up his criticisms of Donalds. And a still-mysterious group called “Florida Fighters” started running positive biographical ads about Collins in central Florida — spending close to $3.5 million so far, according to AdImpact.
“It’s very encouraging to see people who believe in our message,” Collins said when asked about the ads during a Jacksonville press conference, adding he was “very grateful for whatever group that was.”
Collins, a former Green Beret and army veteran who lost part of his leg during his lengthy military career, was tapped by DeSantis in August to become Florida’s lieutenant governor after the post became vacant. Collins has acknowledged his interest in running since then but has yet to announce his plans. Eight Republican operatives and consultants who spoke to POLITICO, and were granted anonymity to speak candidly, contended that delay is due in large part to the Collins’ failure to win an ironclad guarantee that DeSantis would endorse him.
Collins, during a visit to Miami right before Thanksgiving, said he has made a decision. “We are going to roll out our decision here soon. So stay tuned. I’m tired of politicians thinking it’s about them. It’s about their ego,” he said. “This isn’t about me. It’s about we. You need to take time to really look at a race like this. This is 23.5 million people that we get to represent.”
When asked about a possible endorsement from the governor, Collins said, “Well, I’m not in the race yet.” Collins, however, suggested backing from DeSantis may not come immediately.
“It’s about where does that have the biggest impact? Maybe it’s when we launch. Maybe it’s down the road,” he said. “It’s about math, and I say this as a guy with 10 fingers and five toes. It matters, right? Like I’m just saying, where do you get the biggest bang for the buck?”
Another candidate already in the race: former state House Speaker Paul Renner, even though DeSantis has called his candidacy “ill-advised.”
“I think I am a viable alternative, and in the end, we’re going to win,” Renner said at a Tampa event earlier this week.
Renner has concentrated on rolling out policy proposals to provide a contrast to Donalds — who has advocated for making Florida a “financial capital” but also spends plenty of time defending Trump and the White House agenda. Renner, however, has not taken direct shots at Donalds like Fishback and Collins have.
Ryan Smith, a chief strategist for Donalds, responded to Fishback’s comments this week, saying “Donalds has spent his life as a strong, black conservative voice defending President Trump and America First agenda so he is used to and unfazed by racist twitter trolls who attack him for that.”
Smith added that “anyone running against him is an anti-Trump RINO and will get crushed in the Republican primary.”
Democrats are expected to have their own competitive primary that will include Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and former Rep. David Jolly. But right now, intrigue is higher on the Republican side.
While other candidates are still contemplating joining the race, Donalds has become a constant presence at Republican Party fundraising events and dinners — including one back in August in north Florida where Fishback introduced him.
Rep. Randy Fine, who is backing Donalds, contends he already has tremendous advantages.
“I don’t know what any of these people are thinking,” Fine said, citing his name identification and fundraising prowess that have allowed him to pile up roughly $30 million so far. “The base loves him. … He has the most powerful endorsement in the history of politics, President Trump. I guess now he has a fourth advantage: a nine-month head start.”
A November survey of likely GOP voters conducted by a group run by Ryan Tyson, a well-known Florida Republican pollster, found Donalds getting 41 percent compared to low single digits for Renner, Collins and others. Fifty-one percent were undecided. But support for Donalds jumped up to 58 percent when voters were told Trump had endorsed Donalds. DeSantis won the 2018 GOP primary with more than 56 percent after he had been endorsed by Trump.
But those numbers have yet to shut down the Republican race. NBC News recently reported DeSantis tried to convince GOP megadonor Ken Griffin — who moved his business to Florida in 2022 — to help fund a challenger to Donalds but that Griffin has declined to do so. One Republican operative familiar with Griffin’s thinking confirmed the report.
Another GOP operative said the White House knows about DeSantis’ efforts to find someone to run against Donalds — a move that if ultimately successful would spark talk of a DeSantis-Trump proxy war. DeSantis unsuccessfully challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
“They know. It’s OK for now as long as it ends sometime soon,” said the operative.
But online chatter against Donalds continues, including talk about his friendship with Florida Rep. Cory Mills, who is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Donalds called the allegations against Mills “troubling” in a statement and supported having them being investigated by the House committee.
The next few months could be a test for Donalds; if he stumbles, it could open the door for even more Republicans to join the race.
One GOP consultant and operative, however, remained doubtful that would happen.
“This race remains Byron’s to lose, and I don’t see anything on the horizon to change that,” the consultant said.
Kimberly Leonard contributed to this report.