The battle for Florida’s future just took a dramatic turn.
A powerful Republican Congressman threw his weight behind President Trump’s candidate.
And Neal Dunn handed Byron Donalds one major advantage that has the DeSantis family scrambling.
Trump’s candidate dominates congressional endorsements
U.S. Representative Neal Dunn became the 16th member of Florida’s congressional delegation to endorse Byron Donalds for governor.¹
The Panama City Republican brings serious credentials to Donalds’ corner — physician, U.S. Army veteran, and member of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee.²
"Byron Donalds will be an outstanding America First Governor for all Floridians," Dunn said.³ "I have seen firsthand Byron’s commitment to commonsense conservative leadership and his ability to get things done."⁴
Dunn represents Florida’s reliably Republican 2nd Congressional District, which includes Tallahassee and several conservative Panhandle communities.⁵
The endorsement sends a clear message — Florida Republicans in Washington, D.C. are lining up behind Trump’s handpicked candidate over any DeSantis family alternative.
Here’s what makes this development particularly significant.
Donalds now has backing from virtually the entire House Republican leadership — Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Republican Leadership Chair Elise Stefanik, Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer.⁶
Within Florida’s delegation specifically, he’s locked down support from Senator Rick Scott and Representatives Aaron Bean, Vern Buchanan, Kat Cammack, Marío Diaz-Balart, Randy Fine, Mike Haridopolos, Scott Franklin, Laurel Lee, Anna Paulina Luna, Brian Mast, Cory Mills, John Rutherford, María Elvira Salazar, and Daniel Webster.⁷
Add 15 Florida sheriffs to that list, and you’ve got the makings of an unstoppable coalition.⁸
The proxy war nobody saw coming
The Dunn endorsement comes at a critical moment in Florida politics.
Governor Ron DeSantis is term-limited and leaving office in 2026, but he’s made clear he won’t let Trump dictate who succeeds him.⁹
DeSantis has openly promoted his wife Casey as a potential candidate, calling her more electable than himself.¹⁰
"She would do better than me," DeSantis told reporters in February.¹¹ "There’s no question about it."¹²
The governor even recalled a conversation with the late Rush Limbaugh who allegedly said Casey would make a better governor than her husband.¹³
But the polling tells a different story.
When Republican voters know Trump backs Donalds, he leads Casey DeSantis by nearly two-to-one — 49% to 21% according to a St. Pete Polls survey from July.¹⁴
The same poll showed that without the Trump endorsement being mentioned, Casey DeSantis held just a single-point lead.¹⁵
Trump’s endorsement isn’t just helpful — it’s decisive.
Another poll from the James Madison Institute found Donalds crushing Casey DeSantis 44% to 25% when voters were informed of Trump’s backing.¹⁶
DeSantis running out of options
Here’s what the DeSantis camp doesn’t want to admit.
Every major congressional endorsement that goes to Donalds narrows Ron DeSantis’ options for finding a viable alternative candidate.
DeSantis reportedly had breakfast with Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course earlier this year, where he and Casey lobbied the President to hold off on endorsing anyone until Casey made her decision.¹⁷
That strategy failed spectacularly.
Trump went ahead and endorsed Donalds anyway, then watched as virtually every major Republican in Florida followed his lead.¹⁸
The consolidation happening behind Donalds looks remarkably similar to what happened with Trump’s own 2024 presidential campaign.
Once the MAGA base picks their candidate and the institutional support follows, resistance becomes futile.
DeSantis found that out the hard way when his own presidential campaign collapsed after failing to overcome Trump’s momentum.¹⁹
Now his wife faces the same dynamic in the Florida governor’s race.
The fundraising tells the real story
Donalds just posted massive third-quarter fundraising numbers — more than $9.2 million — bringing his total haul to over $31.5 million.²⁰
Those aren’t just good numbers for a gubernatorial race.
They’re historic numbers that signal serious institutional backing beyond just Trump’s endorsement.
Compare that to Casey DeSantis’ position.
She has no political team in place beyond Taryn Fenske, a longtime DeSantis adviser.²¹
Several former DeSantis political staffers — including Ryan Tyson, Makenzi Mahler, and Alex Valdes — have already said they won’t work for Casey if she runs.²²
The DeSantis camp is hemorrhaging talent and support while Donalds builds a juggernaut.
Meanwhile, the Florida Legislature investigated $10 million in questionable funding tied to Hope Florida, the organization Casey DeSantis led as First Lady.²³
Republican state legislators accused the DeSantis administration of using federal Medicaid settlement money illegally to defeat a 2024 marijuana ballot measure.²⁴
The investigation was suddenly dropped, but the political damage lingers.²⁵
That’s the kind of baggage that makes donors nervous about backing a first-time candidate against a Trump-endorsed congressman with massive momentum.
Smart money follows endorsements
The Dunn endorsement matters for reasons beyond just adding another name to Donalds’ list.
Dunn sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the most powerful panels in Congress with jurisdiction over healthcare, technology, and energy policy.²⁶
His medical background and military service give him credibility with two key Florida constituencies — veterans and healthcare professionals.²⁷
When someone with Dunn’s credentials says Donalds "will stand up for our veterans" and "support law enforcement," that carries weight with voters who care about those issues.²⁸
But here’s the strategic calculation Florida Republicans are making.
Trump won Florida by 13 points in 2024 and remains overwhelmingly popular with the state’s GOP base.²⁹
Any Republican who wants to win a statewide primary in Florida needs Trump’s blessing or at minimum his neutrality.
Casey DeSantis starts with neither.
The Trump-DeSantis relationship, while improved from its 2024 presidential primary low point, remains strained.³⁰
Ron DeSantis challenging Trump’s chosen candidate through a proxy campaign for his wife would blow up that detente permanently.
That’s a price DeSantis might be willing to pay if victory seemed plausible.
But with 16 congressional endorsements, House leadership backing, massive fundraising, and Trump’s unwavering support, Donalds looks increasingly unbeatable in a Republican primary.³¹
The smart money in Florida politics is consolidating behind Trump’s pick.
DeSantis can either accept that reality or watch his legacy candidate get demolished in a primary that resurrects all the bad feelings from 2024.
¹ Florida Politics, "Neal Dunn becomes latest in Florida congressional delegation to endorse Byron Donalds," October 13, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Florida Voice News, "EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn backs Byron Donalds for Florida governor," October 13, 2025.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Florida Politics, "Neal Dunn becomes latest in Florida congressional delegation to endorse Byron Donalds," October 13, 2025.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ NBC News, "The fight to replace Ron DeSantis in Florida is on, marked by jockeying with Trump," March 4, 2025.
¹⁰ Florida Phoenix, "DeSantis disses Donalds, touts First Lady, when asked about 2026 governor race," February 24, 2025.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² Ibid.
¹³ Ibid.
¹⁴ Florida Phoenix, "New poll of GOP gov race shows the power of Trump endorsement in Donalds-Casey DeSantis matchup," May 9, 2025.
¹⁵ Ibid.
¹⁶ Ibid.
¹⁷ NBC News, "The fight to replace Ron DeSantis in Florida is on, marked by jockeying with Trump," March 4, 2025.
¹⁸ Ibid.
¹⁹ Newsweek, "Byron Donalds’ Chances of Beating Casey DeSantis in Florida—Polls," July 14, 2025.
²⁰ Florida Voice News, "EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn backs Byron Donalds for Florida governor," October 13, 2025.
²¹ NBC News, "How ‘Hope Florida’ complicates Casey DeSantis’ potential run for governor," April 25, 2025.
²² – ²⁵ Ibid.
²⁶ Wikipedia, "Neal Dunn," accessed October 14, 2025.
²⁷ Ibid.
²⁸ Florida Voice News, "EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn backs Byron Donalds for Florida governor," October 13, 2025.
²⁹ Newsweek, "Democrats’ chances of flipping Florida governor’s seat: poll," September 2025.
³⁰ NBC News, "The fight to replace Ron DeSantis in Florida is on, marked by jockeying with Trump," March 4, 2025.
³¹ Florida Politics, "Neal Dunn becomes latest in Florida congressional delegation to endorse Byron Donalds," October 13, 2025.
