Florida GOP candidates struggle to win DeSantis’s endorsement
Several Republican candidates are competing in Florida’s gubernatorial primary, but none have received endorsements from Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been abstaining from supporting any contender. Byron Donalds, a congressman, leads the race by double digits and is supported by former President Donald Trump, which boosts his chances of winning. Despite DeSantis’s past critiques of Donalds, the candidate hopes to secure his support before the November general election, where he may face Democrat David Jolly.
DeSantis has criticized Donalds for his congressional record, emphasizing that Donalds has not contributed to Florida’s recent victories. Other primary candidates include Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who has attacked Donalds on social media, and James Fishback, a long-shot outsider hoping DeSantis and his wife will vote for him. former Florida House Speaker paul Renner also campaigns, receiving praise from desantis, though the governor questioned his campaign strategy.
desantis’s term ends in January 2027 due to term limit restrictions. It remains uncertain whether he will endorse any candidate before the election.
None of the top four candidates in the Republican primary for Florida governor have been endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) ahead of Tuesday’s election.
DeSantis has refused to lend his support to any of the contenders for some time now, but Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is confident he can win the governor’s endorsement should the congressman win the primary.
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Donalds is outpacing each of his opponents — Lt. Gov. Jay Collins (R-FL), businessman James Fishback, and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner — by double digits. Donalds is endorsed by President Donald Trump, whose support will surely boost the Republican front-runner’s chances of winning in the red state.
DeSantis, however, has been critical of Donalds in the past.
“You’ve got a guy like Byron, he just hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we’ve had here over the Left over these last few years,” DeSantis said at a press conference in February 2025, around the time Donalds launched his campaign for governor. “He’s just not been a part of it. He’s been in other states campaigning doing that and that’s fine, but OK, then deliver results up there.”
The House Republican’s primary opponents have also taken shots at his time spent in Congress, arguing he hasn’t done enough in his federal office for Floridians.
Despite the governor’s criticism, Donalds said he anticipates having his support in the months leading up to the general election. If he becomes the Republican nominee, Donalds will likely face Republican-turned-Democrat David Jolly, a former congressman, in November.
“Gov. DeSantis and all Republicans in our state know that we can leave nothing to chance,” Donalds told Fox News on Sunday. “We can’t just rest in our laurels. I anticipate to have the governor’s support, and we move forward.”
The Washington Examiner contacted DeSantis’s office for comment on whether he will ultimately back the Republican nominee for governor.
Meanwhile, Renner has been touting the outgoing governor’s recent words of praise toward him.
“I think he’d be really good [as governor]. He’s got a great record of policy,” DeSantis said of Renner earlier this month, though he did offer his honest opinion of the candidate’s campaign. “What’s your strategy to get known?” he said, implying Renner hasn’t been doing enough to reach voters in the state.
Collins has focused his campaign attacks against Donalds on social media, suggesting the front-runner won’t put Florida residents first if he’s elected as the state’s next governor. The lieutenant governor has not been endorsed by DeSantis, even though the two work together.
Fishback, who is considered to be the long-shot candidate with no prior political experience, hopes DeSantis and his wife, Casey, will vote for him on Tuesday.
“When the first lady and the governor go to vote, I would be honored to have their vote,” Fishback previously told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “They’re going to view it as really a two-man race between two men [Fishback v. Donalds] with radically different visions for our state, and I would be honored to earn that vote on Aug. 18.”
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It remains to be seen if DeSantis will vote for one of the candidates in the primary election.
The incumbent leaves office in January 2027 because he is not allowed to run for a third consecutive term under the Florida Constitution.
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