Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially endorsed fellow Republican Byron Donalds in the race to be the next governor.
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DeSantis and Donalds appeared on stage together at the Florida GOP Leadership Forum in Tampa Tuesday night, with the outgoing governor introducing Donalds and the other 2026 Republican candidates as “our winning Republican ticket.”
DeSantis, who cannot run again due to term limits, had yet to endorse Donalds, who’d announced his candidacy last year.
Donalds won last month’s Republican primary and will face Democrat David Jolly in the November election.
On Tuesday night, DeSantis spoke about the Florida Democratic candidates and told the GOP “don’t take your foot off the gas.”
“There is a strong contrast between our candidates and their candidates and I want to make sure that we do everything we can to keep this state free,” DeSantis said.
“My mission as the state’s next governor is to build on the success of Ron DeSantis to make sure that all of you can be free and we continue to be the best state in all of America,” Donalds said.
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Jolly’s campaign senior advisor Mark Riddle released a statement to WESH on the endorsement.
“No matter who endorses whom, the reality is this: David Jolly is running to lower housing and healthcare costs, improve education for all families, and stop data centers. Byron Donalds represents more of the same,” the statement read.
There had been a rumored rift between DeSantis and Donalds after DeSantis’ unsuccessful bid to be the GOP’s nominee for president in 2024.
Donalds has been a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, who cruised past DeSantis for the 2024 GOP nomination.
DeSantis took verbal shots at Donalds last year amid speculation his wife, Casey DeSantis, was eyeing a gubernatorial run.
“We’ve achieved victories in Florida,” Gov. DeSantis said in February 2025. “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 years.”
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