Ron DeSantis built Florida into the crown jewel of conservative governance over eight years.
Now the battle to succeed him is heating up.
And Trump's endorsement has Byron Donalds in command of the Florida governor race.
Trump's Golden Touch Strikes Again in Florida
A new American Promise poll shows what happens when President Donald Trump puts his stamp of approval on a candidate.
U.S. Representative Byron Donalds leads the Republican gubernatorial primary with 38% support among likely GOP voters.¹
His nearest rival, Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, trails badly at just 9%.¹
Former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner registers 1%, and businessman James Fishback sits at 2%.¹
Nearly half of voters remain undecided at 49%.¹
But here's where it gets interesting.
When pollsters reminded Republican voters that Trump endorsed Donalds, his support surged to 50% — an instant 12-point jump.²
https://twitter.com/WellsJorda89710/status/2001129418236866830?s=20
Meanwhile, Collins dropped to 7% and the other candidates essentially disappeared from view.²
The poll surveyed 800 likely Republican primary voters between December 8-9 with a margin of error of 3.46 points.²
That means Donalds is the only candidate polling outside the margin of error.
Everyone else is fighting for scraps.
DeSantis Stays Silent While Trump Picks His Successor
Pollster Ryan Tyson, who previously worked for DeSantis' presidential campaign, put it bluntly in his analysis.
"The 2026 Florida Republican primary remains Donalds' race to lose," Tyson wrote.³
"His base is strongest among the most active Republican voters, and his support grows significantly once voters are reminded of Trump's endorsement."³
The survey came after a pro-Collins political committee launched a $5 million to $6 million advertising blitz promoting the Lieutenant Governor.⁴
Despite that massive spending advantage, Collins barely moved the needle.
DeSantis appointed Collins as Lieutenant Governor in August but has declined to endorse anyone in the primary race.
The silence speaks volumes about the current state of Florida Republican politics.
Trump called Donalds on February 20, 2025, shortly before posting on Truth Social that Donalds "would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida" and promised his "Complete and Total Endorsement."⁵
Donalds officially announced his candidacy five days later on Fox News with Sean Hannity.⁵
The 46-year-old Naples Congressman praised DeSantis while making clear he plans to continue Florida's conservative trajectory.
"Ron DeSantis has done a tremendous job as governor," Donalds said in his recent interview with The Floridian.⁶
"The question is, are we going to continue on that trajectory? The answer is yes, we are."⁶
https://twitter.com/Floridianpress/status/2000998656082858444?s=20
History Repeating Itself
Sound familiar?
It should.
This is exactly what happened in 2018 when Trump endorsed DeSantis over the Republican establishment's preferred candidate, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.⁷
Putnam had the backing of Florida's political class, more money, and higher name recognition.⁷
But Trump's endorsement in December 2017 changed everything.⁷
DeSantis surged in the polls and crushed Putnam 56.5% to 36.5% in the August 2018 primary.⁷
Trump's golden touch in Florida Republican primaries is now 1-for-1.
And it's looking like he's about to go 2-for-2.
Donalds has spent years positioning himself as a Trump loyalist.
He was on the short list for Vice President in 2024.
The far-right House Freedom Caucus nominated him for House Speaker during the chaos of January 2023.
He served as a Trump surrogate across the country during the 2024 campaign.
Now Trump is returning the favor by clearing the field for Donalds in what should be one of the most important gubernatorial races of 2026.
If DeSantis won't publicly back a successor, Trump will pick one for him.
And right now, nobody in Florida Republican politics has the juice to overcome a Trump endorsement.
The primary is still eight months away, but Donalds' polling lead combined with Trump's backing has essentially made this a race for second place.
Collins may have DeSantis' implicit support and millions in outside spending.
But he doesn't have what matters most in a Florida Republican primary — Trump's endorsement.
And that's the only endorsement that moves the needle when half of Florida's Republican base is sitting around waiting for Trump to tell them who to vote for.
¹ Jacob Ogles, "New poll shows Byron Donalds maintains front-runner status in GOP Primary," Florida Politics, December 16, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Niels Lesniewski, "Byron Donalds, with Trump endorsement, announces bid for governor," Roll Call, February 25, 2025.
⁶ Michael Costeines, "Donalds Praises DeSantis's Work as Governor, Looks to Continue and Build on His Successes," The Floridian, December 16, 2025.
⁷ "2018 Florida gubernatorial election," Wikipedia, accessed December 17, 2025.
