James Uthmeier told a federal judge that her contempt ruling was a price worth paying.
Now Florida's toughest law-and-order AG is making the biggest endorsement of the 2026 governor's race.
What Uthmeier said next is everything Florida conservatives needed to hear before August 18.
The DeSantis Machine Stamps Its Approval
James Uthmeier doesn't mess around.
Since DeSantis appointed him Florida's attorney general in February 2025, Uthmeier has arrested more than 1,600 child predators and traffickers, built Alligator Alcatraz inside the Everglades, and launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI for its role in a campus shooting.
His office convicted 382 criminal defendants in 2025 alone – sentencing them to a combined 1,688 years in Florida's correctional system.
When a federal activist judge tried to shut down his immigration crackdown, Uthmeier kept enforcing the law anyway.
The judge held him in contempt.
He told reporters the contempt order changed nothing about how Florida would handle illegal immigration – then proved it.
That's who just threw his full weight behind Byron Donalds for governor of Florida.
"Byron is a Freedom Caucus conservative and proven FL House leader," Uthmeier wrote on X Wednesday, adding that Donalds is committed to punishing child predators, defending the Second Amendment, protecting the unborn, and dismantling the left's agenda in Florida.
https://twitter.com/JamesUthmeierFL/status/2072341852628328734?s=20
This isn't a celebrity endorsement from someone who showed up to a rally.
Uthmeier was DeSantis's chief of staff for four years – the man who ran the day-to-day operations of the most successful conservative governorship in America.
He knows exactly what Florida's next governor needs to look like.
And he chose Donalds.
Donalds Has the Money, the Votes, and Now the Blessing
Before Uthmeier said a word, Byron Donalds was already lapping the field.
A June poll from the Associated Industries of Florida put him at 54% among likely Republican primary voters – more than 46 points ahead of his nearest competitor.
That's not a race.
That's a coronation.
Donalds has raised more than $81 million through his campaign and political committee – from over 35,000 individual donors.
His nearest Republican rival, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, has roughly $6 million to spend.
President Trump backed Donalds early and hasn't wavered.
Sheriff Grady Judd – one of Florida's most respected law-and-order voices – is in.
The Florida Republican Party canceled the primary debate because Donalds was the only candidate who cleared their minimum polling threshold to participate.
No other Republican even came close.
And now the man who built Alligator Alcatraz, arrested 1,600 child predators and traffickers, and opened a murder investigation into OpenAI is publicly standing behind him.
Donalds called the endorsement an honor Wednesday and said the two men share the same mission – a safer Florida, a state that stands behind its cops, and a hard stop on the left's agenda.
He's spent months touring Florida on his Defending the Florida Dream agenda – lower costs for families, a crackdown on illegal immigration, and taking the fight directly to Democrats in November.
This is what dominance looks like seven weeks before a primary.
What Democrats Are Walking Into This November
No Democrat has won the Florida governorship since 1994.
DeSantis won his first term by 0.4 points in 2018 and crushed his opponent 59-40 in 2022.
Trump carried Florida by 13 points in 2024.
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2072343379833143532?s=20
Democrats are about to face a candidate with $81 million in the bank, a 46-point primary lead, Trump's full endorsement, and now the man who ran DeSantis's entire operation publicly vouching for him.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce's May poll shows Donalds already leading both of his likely Democrat opponents in general election matchups – before the primary has even been held.
Uthmeier's endorsement isn't just political cover.
It's institutional credibility from the heart of the DeSantis machine.
Uthmeier spent four years making DeSantis's vision real: arrest more criminals, protect Florida's children, defy activist judges, enforce immigration law without apology.
His endorsement tells every DeSantis loyalist in the state exactly what they need to know about Byron Donalds.
He's not going to flinch either.
That's exactly what Florida needs after four years of Biden Democrats trying to undo everything DeSantis built.
The primary is August 18.
The general is November 3.
Florida isn't going back.
Sources:
- Frank Kopylov, "Attorney General James Uthmeier backs Byron Donalds in bid for Florida governor," Florida's Voice, July 1, 2026.
- "Attorney General James Uthmeier Highlights Successful Year of Delivering for Floridians," My Florida Legal, December 29, 2025.
- "POLL: Byron Donalds dominates Florida GOP primary, leads rivals by 46 points," Florida's Voice, June 2026.
- "Byron Donalds Posts Record $22M Quarter to Kick Off 2026 Governor's Race," Florida Politics, April 1, 2026.
- "New Florida Chamber Statewide Poll Shows Ashley Moody, Byron Donalds Leading Potential Democratic Opponents," Florida Chamber of Commerce, May 15, 2026.
