Byron Donalds hires pollster as Florida's 2026 gubernatorial speculation grows

The 2026 gubernatorial Florida election could be heating up early, as a recent hiring by Rep. Byron Donalds’s (R-FL) campaign might signal he has his eyes on the governor’s mansion next year.

Amid speculation that former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz will launch a gubernatorial bid in next year’s election, Donalds has brought on Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, headed by one of the most prominent pollsters among Republicans, Tony Fabrizio. Previously, Fabrizio worked as a pollster for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump for his 2016 campaign and has since been hired by Donalds’s congressional campaign in Florida’s 19th District.