Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on Tuesday broke his silence in the race to replace him, endorsing Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) alongside a slate of other GOP candidates in the midterm elections.
DeSantis announced the candidates he is backing at a Florida GOP forum in Tampa, where Donalds, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson joined him on stage. The outgoing governor endorsed all four candidates.
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“I’m endorsing the slate here tonight, even Blaise Ingoglia, because I know it’s important for the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. “Apathy is our enemy, and if we’re not apathetic and we understand we’ve got a job to do, I think things will work out well.”
DeSantis also encouraged voter turnout, telling Floridians to “storm the polls” and vote Republican.
Donalds, who also has President Donald Trump‘s support, touted DeSantis’s endorsement on social media, saying he was “honored” to receive the governor’s backing.
“Governor DeSantis has done incredible work to make Florida the envy of America,” Donalds said. “As your next Governor, I will build on his success and defend the Florida Dream.”
DeSantis had held off endorsing a candidate in the August primary, although Donalds was long viewed as the almost certain winner. In the primary, Donalds was facing Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who ultimately fell to Donalds by a roughly 20-point margin.
Days before voters cast their ballots in the primary, Donalds said he expected a DeSantis endorsement to come after he secured the Republican nomination.
The two Florida politicians have had an up-and-down relationship that began when Donalds ditched his backing of DeSantis in the 2024 presidential primary to support Trump. Early in the gubernatorial race, reports emerged that DeSantis’s team was steering lobbyists away from the Donalds campaign, though the pair seemed to have repaired the relationship since.
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Now armed with a DeSantis and Trump endorsement, Donalds’s road to November appears less tumultuous. In the general election, Donalds will face former Florida Republican Rep. David Jolly, now a Democrat.
Still, Donalds has a significant battle coming in November against Jolly, who appears to be doing well among independents in the state, according to recent polling. The two are separated by a 1-point margin in a survey conducted days before the primary. The race is rated “likely Republican” by Cook Political Report.
