Democrats spent years telling you Florida was turning purple.
Now Byron Donalds just locked in his running mate.
And Ron DeSantis described Donalds’ running mate by two words that show why David Jolly's path to the governor's mansion just got narrower.
Son of Cuban Exiles Who Fled Communism Just Joined the Ticket
Byron Donalds announced state Sen. Bryan Ávila as his lieutenant governor pick Tuesday morning at Miami's Freedom Tower – the same landmark that processed Cuban refugees for more than a decade after Castro took power.
That wasn't an accident.
Ávila's parents fled communist Cuba, leaving their home and business behind, and landed in Hialeah.
Their son grew up, served 12 years in the Florida Legislature, rose to Speaker Pro Tempore, chaired the Finance and Tax Committee, and joined the Florida Army National Guard – where he earned a Leadership Award, an Army Commendation Medal, and a dozen other honors while responding to two major hurricanes and activating for over a year during COVID relief.
He also wrote and passed the Stop WOKE Act in 2022 – the law that barred Florida teachers from telling kids they were inherently racist because of their skin color.
Ron DeSantis signed it.
Democrats lost their minds.
"Senator Ávila is a good dude," DeSantis said Tuesday. "I've always appreciated his service in the National Guard."
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2092274072046424381?s=20
That's about as warm as Florida Republicans get with each other in an election year.
Every Major Republican Just Fell In Line
The unity response was immediate and total.
Rick Scott called it a "great pick."
Kat Cammack – who had been considered as Donalds' running mate herself – said Ávila's family had "fled communist Cuba in search of freedom" and that his life had "been defined by service to the country that gave them a new beginning."
Jimmy Patronis hailed Ávila as "a strong conservative fighter who will defend the Florida Dream."
Florida Senate President Ben Albritton called Ávila "a trusted Senator, a great Floridian and an exceptional human being."
Former Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera – who had known Ávila since Ávila ran to succeed him in the Florida House – welcomed the pick and said he looked forward to Ávila "being a successor as LG."
When the man whose position you're inheriting publicly hands you the torch, that's not a routine endorsement.
That's a generational handoff.
Donalds put it plainly at the Freedom Tower: "I came to Florida at 17 years old with a trunk full of clothes, chasing a dream. Bryan Ávila is the son of Cuban exiles who fled communism so their children could live in freedom. We didn't inherit political names. We didn't inherit political birthrights, but what we inherited was the responsibility to fight for the state that gave our families everything."
That's not campaign language.
That's identity.
Here Is Exactly What This Does to David Jolly
Jolly's entire theory of winning Florida runs through Broward County.
He said so himself – that robust turnout in Broward among Democrats and Black voters is how Democrats "win the governorship."
He isn't even pretending Miami-Dade is in play.
Now look at what's happening on the Democrat side in South Florida.
The Democrat Senate nominee sharing the top of the ticket with Jolly is Angie Nixon – a card-carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of America who just upset center-left candidate Alex Vindman in the primary.
Jolly was in Miami five days ago publicly declaring he "rejects socialism" and rejects the DSA.
He's running on a ticket with one of its members.
In Hialeah.
Ávila has represented Cuban-majority communities in both chambers of the Florida Legislature for 12 consecutive years and won every single race.
https://twitter.com/RichSementa/status/2092625875527180699?s=20
The word "socialism" alone is enough to end a political career in Miami-Dade.
Jolly's running alongside it.
Donalds-Ávila doesn't just lock down the Cuban vote – it turns the knife.
Florida Republicans now hold a 1.5 million voter registration advantage, Donalds leads by 5 points in the RealClearPolitics average, and Polymarket has him at 79 percent to win.
Florida Democrat chair Nikki Fried fired back that Ávila had helped "pass laws that protected insurance companies instead of the people paying their premiums."
Ten weeks from Election Day, with a Democratic Socialist on her party's Senate ticket, that's the best she's got.
Sources:
- A.G. Gancarski, "'Good dude': Ron DeSantis, other Florida Republicans hail Bryan Ávila LG pick," Florida Politics, August 25, 2026.
- CBS Miami Staff, "Florida Republican Byron Donalds selects state Sen. Bryan Avila as running mate," CBS Miami, August 25, 2026.
- Florida Politics Staff, "5 things to know about Bryan Ávila, Byron Donalds' running mate," Florida Politics, August 25, 2026.
- Tampa Free Press Staff, "Florida GOP Backs Donalds-Avila Ticket As Party Chair Evan Power Praises Running Mate Pick," Tampa Free Press, August 25, 2026.
- RealClearPolling, "2026 Florida Governor – Donalds vs. Jolly," RealClearPolling, August 26, 2026.
- Cuba Headlines Staff, "David Jolly Optimistic About Cuba's Future, Trusts Marco Rubio to Lead Change," Cuba Headlines, August 21, 2026.
