Does Trump have a favorite Republican in the 2026 Florida governor's race?

Kirby Wilson, Tampa Bay Times on Feb 17, 2025

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TAMPA, Fla. — On Monday, a cryptic post by President Donald Trump might have officially marked the beginning of the 2026 Florida governor’s race.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump posted a screen grab of a survey showing U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds far ahead of three other Republican opponents in a hypothetical primary. Donalds, the southwest Florida representative who is widely seen as a rising star in Republican politics, is rumored to be eying a run for governor.

Trump offered no additional commentary along with the post. But if Trump were to endorse Donalds, it would be a massive boost to the candidate’s chances. Trump famously tilted the 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary in favor of then-U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis with a series of online posts.

But Donalds isn’t the only close Trump ally rumored to be looking at a run for governor. Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, whom Trump initially chose to be his attorney general, is also looking at the race. Given that Trump nearly handed Gaetz the reins of the U.S. Department of Justice, it would be a minor upset if Trump were to endorse anyone over Gaetz in a Republican primary that included the former panhandle-area representative.

Gaetz withdrew himself from consideration for attorney general amid allegations that he used illegal drugs while in Congress and had sex with an underage girl.

“Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!” Trump posted to social media in response to Gaetz withdrawing.

The timing of Trump’s post was also strange. It showcased a survey that is nearly a month old — and is already potentially out of date. At the time it was released, the poll, conducted by Victory Insights, showed Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez running a distant second behind Donalds. She just left the DeSantis administration to take over as the interim president of Florida International University. Her political future is uncertain.

Since that poll, NBC News also reported that Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis is considering a run for governor — despite her husband saying publicly she has no interest in a run.

Also rumored to be interested: Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who’s sitting on tens of millions of dollars in political donations. The Victory Insights survey had him polling at 3%. The survey showed more than 60% of respondents were undecided. The primary is scheduled for August 2026.

When the survey landed in late January, Gaetz noted in an X post that the poll didn’t include all potential candidates.

When asked about Trump’s post, Gaetz echoed that point.

“It still doesn’t include me :)” Gaetz texted a reporter.

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