DeSantis vs Donalds: the race is on for Florida's next governor

The opening bell unofficially rings for the 2026 FL GOP gubernatorial campaign.

Last week, President Trump endorsed Rep Byron Donalds (R-FL) as the next governor of Florida, some 20 months before the 2026 gubernatorial election.

The president made the endorsement via a Truth Social post:

“Byron Donalds would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida and, should he decide to run, will have my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, BYRON, RUN!”

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The timing of the endorsement is rather peculiar, but it offers insight into how the White House intends to support Rep Donalds and his run in Tallahassee.

The president’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is a longtime lobbyist and Republican political operative who once worked for Florida governor Ron DeSantis. Several years ago, She was banished from the DeSantis orbit after being accused of various misdeeds and misconduct orbit before making her way to Team Trump.

In Florida and D.C. politics world, the Donalds endorsement is largely perceived as a Wiles-driven initiative, given that the president and Florida governor have largely buried the hatchet after a heated Republican primary race. The Dossier understands that DeSantis and Trump are in regular direct contact over various national and statewide topics, particularly immigration, the economy, border security, and national security issues.

On Monday, the Florida governor made it clear that he was not enthusiastic about Rep. Donalds’s expected gubernatorial run.

"He just hasn't been a part of any of the victories that we've had here over these last years," said DeSantis, likely alluding to the congressman’s lack of public interest in the hotly-contested amendments that the governor successfully defeated in the 2024 elections. "He's just not been a part of it. He's been in other states campaigning, doing that, and that's fine. But okay, well then, deliver results up there."

Governor DeSantis, who cannot run again due to term limits, was asked about First Lady Casey DeSantis potentially entering the race.

“She’s somebody that has, I think, the intestinal fortitude and the dedication to conservative principles,” DeSantis said of his wife. “Anything we’ve accomplished, she’d be able to take to the next level.”

While nothing is official yet, it’s clear that the race is on. There’s just no way the governor would speak enthusiastically about the first lady entering the arena without her, at the very least, seriously considering running to be his successor.

On Friday, Mrs. DeSantis delivered a very well-received, fiery address that touted Florida’s achievements. “The sanity and freedom we enjoy in Florida are not guaranteed in perpetuity,” she told the audience, warning that “Florida can easily revert back” to the ways of the old guard and lobbyists corrupting the state. There now seems to be no doubt that she intends to run for office.

Donalds scored a significant victory in securing the president’s endorsement. This helped clear the field from potential influential competitors like former Rep. Matt Gaetz and other local names considering running for the post.

But that does not mean he is a shoo-in by any means.

The DeSantis namesake is an enormously popular brand in the “Free State of Florida.” The governor won his last election by 20 points and rallied the state to defeat a Trump-endorsed amendment in November.

Moreover, a recent survey found that Casey DeSantis polls very favorably among Floridians. Her favorables should have considerable staying power, as she has long been a public-facing figure in Florida (through her long career in media and, most recently, in politics as First Lady) with a proven clean track record. The same can’t be said about Donalds, who has a much more checkered past.

While Floridian GOP voters are also enthusiastic Trump supporters, the statewide race will go down as DeSantis versus Donalds, not DeSantis versus Trump. The president has a country to run, and it’s doubtful he would spend much time campaigning in a GOP primary race.

Expect to see some official announcements in the coming weeks. Nonetheless, the race for the GOP nomination is officially on, and our two major competitors have already emerged.