Ron DeSantis turned Florida from a swing state into a conservative fortress.
Donald Trump is making sure that fortress doesn't crack.
And Donald Trump just dropped a seven-figure ad for Byron Donalds – and the numbers show why Democrats are already terrified.
This week, a new seven-figure statewide ad campaign launched for Byron Donalds, the Naples congressman running for governor, putting Trump's endorsement front and center where every Florida voter can see it.
Trump's Name Changes Everything
The ad, titled "Free State," hit digital and streaming platforms across Florida this week, framing Donalds as the America First candidate who will keep Florida exactly what DeSantis built.
A GOP polling firm – Fabrizio, Lee & Associates – surveyed 600 Republican primary voters and found Donalds already leading the field by 13 points over the nearest challenger.
Then they told respondents about Trump's endorsement.
His lead exploded to 58 points – 68% to 10%.
That's not a polling margin – that's a demolition.
The Numbers That Should Have Democrats Drinking
Donalds hadn't spent a single dollar on television ads when his campaign raised $45 million in 2025 – more than any gubernatorial campaign in Florida history at this point in an election cycle.
His campaign called it what it was: the most dominant fundraising position in Florida gubernatorial history.
For context, that haul is two and a half times what Ron DeSantis raised when he ran.
His opponents, meanwhile, burned through over $6 million just trying to make voters aware of their names – and moved the needle nowhere.
Seventeen of Florida's 20 congressional delegation members endorsed Donalds.
Sixty-three members of the Florida House Republican Caucus endorsed Donalds.
Rick Scott, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Elon Musk, and a majority of Florida's sheriffs are all behind him.
https://twitter.com/ByronWarRoom/status/2023744237620142124?s=20
The opposition – former House Speaker Paul Renner and a handful of others – raised a combined fraction of what Donalds has banked.
Florida Isn't a Battleground Anymore – It's a Trophy Case
Democrats keep pretending Florida is competitive because the alternative is admitting they've already lost it.
DeSantis won reelection in 2022 by 19 points.
Trump carried the state by 13 points in 2024.
Republicans now hold supermajorities in both chambers of the Florida Legislature, every statewide office, and both Senate seats.
David Jolly – a former Republican congressman who switched parties to lead the Democrat field – is their best option, and he trails Donalds by double digits in general election polling.
The party that once dreamed of flipping Florida is now fighting to stay relevant in it.
Donalds' campaign has been direct about the goal: win the governorship and then drive Democrat voter registration in Florida into extinction.
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2023784505832587533?s=20
The "Free State" Branding Is a Promise, Not a Slogan
Donalds built his congressional record on border security, parental rights, school choice, and fighting every woke initiative the left threw at Florida.
Trump endorsed him before he even formally entered the race – a signal this isn't a consolation prize, it's a chosen successor to everything DeSantis built.
The new ad campaign drops now because the primary is August 18 – and with $45 million in the bank, Donalds hasn't begun to fight.
When 68% of Republican primary voters line up the moment they learn Trump is behind you, Democrats don't have an answer for that – because there isn't one.
Sources:
- Ryan Smith, "Friends of Byron Donalds PAC Statement," Friends of Byron Donalds PAC, February 17, 2026.
- Anita Padilla, "Trump Endorsement Takes Center Stage in New Seven-Figure Ad Campaign for Byron Donalds," Fox News, February 17, 2026.
- Jacob Ogles, "Byron Donalds Raised $45M Over Course of 2025 to Run for Governor," Florida Politics, January 5, 2026.
- Mitch Perry, "Latest 2026 Florida GOP Gubernatorial Poll Shows Byron Donalds Blowing Away the Rest of the Field," Florida Phoenix, January 9, 2026.
- Staff Report, "Poll: Byron Donalds a GOP Frontrunner in Florida Governor's Race," WFLA, January 16, 2026.
