GOP Florida governor candidate Rep. Byron Donalds has secured his first endorsement from a fellow Floridian House member: Rep. Vern Buchanan.
Endorsement Dynamics in the Florida Governor Race
“My friend, Byron Donalds, is a fearless conservative and MAGA patriot,” Buchanan said in a statement first provided to POLITICO. “I have worked closely with him in Congress and know from personal experience his fight, tenacity, and effectiveness. He will be a great executive for our Sunshine State.”
The endorsement of Buchanan, who is co-chair of the bipartisan 30-member Florida congressional delegation, comes after President Donald Trump’s, who made his preference for Donalds known before the congressman made his campaign official. The 2026 Florida governor’s race is shaping up to be a proxy battle between Trump and term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is weighing his future post-Tallahassee and has been working to make amends with the president after unsuccessfully challenging him for the White House.
In recent weeks, Gov. DeSantis has begun talking up his wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, to donors as a possible successor — and both have met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and at his West Palm Beach golf course. He also has played down Donalds’ record, suggesting he’s insufficiently conservative, and has indicated he thinks Donalds should focus on his job in Congress rather than on running for governor.
The Donalds campaign has seen endorsements trickle in from top conservative influencers and groups, including Donald Trump Jr., Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, Club for Growth, the Black Conservative Federation and conservative commentator Benny Johnson. But Buchanan, the second-longest serving member of the Florida delegation, is the first House colleague to back him.
Buchanan is also one of the wealthiest members of Congress and helped host Speaker Mike Johnson’s first big fundraising bash in 2023, at his Longboat Key mansion. During the 2023 House speaker fight, Buchanan had backed Donalds for the job over Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
Buchanan’s vocal support could lead other members of Florida’s delegation to endorse him. Such a playbook would be familiar. Trump’s presidential campaign similarly cornered DeSantis during the 2024 primary with endorsements from the Republican delegation in Florida — some of whom did so as the governor was making his way to Washington. Donalds, a former DeSantis ally, also endorsed Trump over the sitting governor early on. The only member of the Florida congressional delegation who eventually endorsed DeSantis was Rep. Laurel Lee, his former secretary of state.
Another member of the Florida delegation who has signaled his support for Donalds but hasn’t given a direct endorsement is Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), DeSantis’ predecessor in the governor’s mansion. Scott said Monday on Brian Kilmeade’s Fox Radio program that he thought Donalds, who is his congressman, would win the race — even if the first lady were to get in. He talked up Donalds’ record and said that he “works his butt off.”
“I’m going to do everything I can to be helpful to him,” Scott said. “I think he’ll be a phenomenal governor. I think he’s going to win. I’m glad that Trump endorsed him.”
Donalds will be holding a kickoff rally on March 28 in Bonita Springs, after first announcing on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” that he intended to run.
