Byron Donalds just launched a seven-figure ad blitz with Trump calling him a "superstar of the future" – while Casey DeSantis is still testing bread for weed killer.
Florida's governor race was supposed to be wide open the moment Ron DeSantis hit his term limit.
But Trump ended the suspense a year before the primary – and now Casey DeSantis is scrambling to prove she belongs in a race the president has already decided.
The Numbers Tell the Story Before the First Debate
Donalds has raised $50 million.
Casey DeSantis hasn't announced – and the political operatives who built her husband's two landslide victories are already gone, telling insiders they won't work for her if she runs.
When Florida GOP primary voters are told Trump endorsed Donalds, his support jumps from 29% to 44% while Casey falls to 25%.
Trump didn't pick Donalds because he's the best candidate for Florida.
Trump picked Donalds because Ron DeSantis challenged him for the 2024 presidential nomination and Trump never forgets disloyalty.
When Ron and Casey DeSantis had breakfast with Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course and reportedly lobbied him to step back from the race, the answer was more ads, not fewer.
The Friends of Byron Donalds PAC just went up with a million-dollar spot on streaming and digital platforms built around one message: Trump trusts Donalds. "The President trusts him. The left hates him. Florida needs him."
https://twitter.com/321FLSpaceCoast/status/2019769013916610832?s=20
Now a pro-AI super PAC funded in part by OpenAI's Greg Brockman and Andreessen Horowitz is dropping another $5 million behind him.
Casey DeSantis is left with what one Florida GOP fundraiser called the "equivalent of crumbs."
The Hope Florida Shadow Won't Go Away
She ran a program where $10 million from a Medicaid settlement flowed through her nonprofit toward a campaign to kill marijuana legalization – and the only reason she's testing bread for weed killer right now is because that story nearly ended her.
Hope Florida was Casey DeSantis' signature initiative, the thing that was supposed to define her legacy.
A criminal investigation landed on her doorstep after the money trail from contractor Centene ran through her foundation and into a political campaign.
No charges came out of it, but the damage was done.
Now she's rebranded around MAHA – testing candy bars, baby formula, and bread for toxins, traveling the state with press conferences and conservative podcast appearances.
https://twitter.com/Save_FL_Now/status/2019570997548990694?s=20
The initiative is called Healthy Florida First, modeled directly on RFK Jr.'s federal push.
The problem: MAHA voters don't think it's genuine.
Polling from MAHA Moms of Florida found 42% of GOP primary voters believe her food safety push is primarily a cover for the Hope Florida controversy.
Sixty-three percent said it made them less likely to support her for governor.
The Florida legislature delivered another verdict last week – the House put zero dollars toward Healthy Florida First in its budget, despite the governor requesting $5 million.
Her flagship initiative is getting rejected by the Republican-controlled body she'd need to govern.
The Clock Is Running Out
The filing deadline is June 12.
Twenty insiders told Politico they mostly expect Casey DeSantis won't run – and five specifically cited the couple's three young children as a deciding factor.
The governor's office declined to comment.
But no one close to her would rule it out – which tells you all you need to know.
https://twitter.com/ByronDonalds/status/2025941085000757691?s=20
Florida hasn't elected a Democratic governor since 1994.
Whoever wins the Republican primary in August wins the state in November.
The question is whether Casey DeSantis wants to spend the next five months raising money she can't match, defending a food testing program the legislature just defunded, and fighting a proxy war against Trump on behalf of her husband's wounded pride.
Trump called Byron Donalds a "total winner" and a "superstar of the future."
The primary is August 18.
Florida's about to find out what happens to everyone who makes Trump wait.
Sources:
- Kimberly Leonard, "The Casey DeSantis Question Looming Over Florida's Governor Race," Politico, February 22, 2026.
- Paul Steinhauser, "Trump-Backed Donalds Vows to Maintain DeSantis Trajectory," Fox News Digital, December 22, 2025.
- A.G. Gancarski, "First Ad for Byron Donalds Gubernatorial Bid Emphasizes Donald Trump Endorsement," Florida Politics, February 17, 2026.
- NBC News Staff, "Super PAC Backed by AI Titans Pledges $5 Million to Boost Byron Donalds' Run for Florida Governor," NBC News, February 12, 2026.
- Ana Goñi-Lessan, "First Lady Casey DeSantis' Food Testing Program Snubbed in Florida Budget Plans," WUSF/News Service of Florida, February 18, 2026.
- Governor's Press Office, "Florida Releases Bread Testing Results Under Healthy Florida First Initiative," Executive Office of the Governor, February 6, 2026.
- MAHA Moms of Florida, "MAHA Moms Polling Shows GOP Voters Don't Trust Casey DeSantis' Sudden Food Safety Mission," February 19, 2026.
