Donald Trump's man in Florida just banked more money in seven days than his closest rival has raised in months.
That rival now has just over $3 million total – and Byron Donalds just walked past $95 million.
The race for Florida Governor is already over, and five weeks before anyone votes, the numbers prove it.
$95 Million vs $3 Million and No One Is Catching Up
Byron Donalds pulled in nearly $290,000 to his campaign account and $4.75 million to the Friends of Byron Donalds political committee in the single week ending July 3.
The Seminole Tribe wrote a second seven-figure check – $1 million, matching what they gave last August.
Tech investors McCoy Ventures followed with $500,000.
He has $66 million sitting in the bank ready to spend.
His closest competitor in the polls, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, raised barely $25,000 during that same week.
https://twitter.com/ByronDonalds/status/2076409154130911615?s=20
Donalds raised $5 million.
Collins raised $25,000. Renner raised $12,000.
The Tyson Group – Florida's most respected Republican pollster, the firm that has surveyed the state for two decades – just released a survey showing Donalds at 48% in the Republican Primary. Collins sits at 9%. Fishback at 8%. Renner at 4%.
Tyson's memo says the only remaining question "is how high Donalds' ballot share climbs before his nomination."
This Is What a Trump Endorsement Actually Looks Like
The pattern here isn't complicated.
Trump endorsed Donalds in February 2025, days before Donalds formally entered the race.
The endorsement didn't just give Donalds a political boost – it collapsed the entire competitive field before a single vote was cast.
Charlie Crist beat Tom Gallagher by 31 points in the 2006 Republican gubernatorial Primary – the largest margin Tyson's firm had ever measured in an open GOP Primary in Florida.
Donalds is running nearly 40 points ahead of his closest rival right now with five weeks to go.
Among the voters who actually decide primaries, Donalds' numbers are even better.
He pulls 50% among voters who have cast ballots in each of the last three primaries.
https://twitter.com/ByronDonalds/status/2076022220061557063?s=20
Among voters 65 and older, he's at 55%. Among self-identified MAGA voters, 54%.
Among Floridians who watch Fox News regularly, 60%.
The 37,000 donors who have given to this campaign aren't doing it because they think Donalds might win.
They're doing it because Trump told them he's the guy.
The Opposition Has Nothing Left to Run On
Jay Collins is the one who deserves the most scrutiny here.
DeSantis elevated him to Lieutenant Governor in August 2025, and Collins entered the race in January believing the Governor's blessing would follow.
It hasn't.
DeSantis has withheld his endorsement.
His longtime staffers are at war with Collins' campaign. Collins' wife – whom DeSantis appointed to the state Board of Education – allegedly ran anonymous accounts on social media attacking the Governor for not supporting her husband.
Collins' hard money total for one recent reporting period came to $15,476 – and $100 for his political committee.
His closing argument to voters is that "the Army broke his feelings," so he doesn't need DeSantis to endorse him.
Mail ballots are already going out.
James Fishback, who launched his campaign in November on a platform of ending H-1B visas, has raised nearly $970,000 this entire cycle – almost all of it from one single donor named Daniel Hassan.
He's also fighting a lawsuit that could knock him off the ballot entirely over questions about his Florida residency.
Paul Renner raised $12,000 last week.
He has $2 million left.
He's asking for a Fox News debate.
https://twitter.com/CryptidPolitics/status/2076634615628939734?s=20
Meanwhile, Donalds has the backing of Rick Scott, Mike Johnson, 17 members of Florida's congressional delegation, more than two dozen sheriffs, and three-quarters of the Republican caucus in the Legislature.
His volunteers have knocked on more than 180,000 doors. He has $66 million in the bank and a $20 million statewide ad buy already running.
The primary is August 18.
The question was settled a long time ago.
Democrats know it too.
David Jolly and Gwen Graham are already running a general election campaign because they have nobody left to fear in their own primary.
They're counting on Florida conservatives to stay home, to splinter, to decide that this race doesn't matter enough.
With nearly $66 million still available, Donalds is going to spend the next four months making sure every conservative in Florida knows exactly what's at stake when Democrats come for the state Ron DeSantis spent eight years building.
Sources:
- A.G. Gancarski, "Byron Donalds raises $5M in a single week, nears $95M total raised for Governor's race," Florida Politics, July 11, 2026.
- Peter Schorsch, "Byron Donalds takes 48% in new Tyson Group poll, nearly 40 points ahead of GOP field," Florida Politics, July 13, 2026.
- "Byron Donalds shatters fundraising records, raises more than $90 million for governor bid," FL Voice News, July 1, 2026.
- "Byron Donalds pulls further ahead in fundraising as GOP challengers continue to struggle," FL Voice News, July 7, 2026.
- "POLL: Byron Donalds dominates Florida GOP primary, leads rivals by 46 points," FL Voice News, June 12, 2026.
