Byron Donalds, Running for Governor, Courts Monroe County Republicans in Keys

Byron Donalds is in Marathon for a Keys Common Sense Conservatives barbecue at Oceanfront Park from 11:30 to 1:30, then traveling up the Keys for a Q&A session at Buzzard’s Roost in Key Largo, Monroe County Commissioner Holly Merrill Raschein said on Good Morning Keys. Raschein described the stop as a “major stop for him” and said Donalds’ “goal is to meet people in the Keys,” adding, “He’s just a really overall good dude. He was a good compadre in the legislature, and then obviously made the switch to serve in Congress.”

Donalds made his official gubernatorial announcement during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” on Tuesday night and filed paperwork with the Florida Division of Elections on Wednesday, campaign materials show. Tallahassee reporting notes he “got into the race in February,” and campaign messaging in the Keys has leaned on a Trump-aligned theme; Donalds told WUSF, “I stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump who’s ushering in the golden age of America and that effort starts in the states.”

The Monroe County appearances come after a string of law-enforcement endorsements Tallahassee reported for Donalds, including named sheriffs Wayne Ivey of Brevard, Kevin Rambosk of Collier, T.K. Waters of Duval, Eric Flowers of Indian River, Carmine Marceno of Lee, John Budensiek of Martin, Richard Del Toro of St. Lucie and Jared Miller of Wakulla. Donalds’ campaign statement in Tallahassee framed his platform around public safety: “As Governor, I will be 100% committed to law and order and keeping Florida the safest state in the nation. I will stand in lockstep with our sheriffs and law enforcement as we work to protect Florida from criminal illegal aliens, keep drugs off our streets, and implement strong public safety laws to protect our families.” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said, “Byron is a proven no-nonsense champion for law enforcement who will always put our citizens, our cops, and our constitution first!”

Local promotion for the Marathon stop ran through Keys Common Sense Conservatives and Keys Talk radio. Raschein urged broad participation: “It’s not just for elected officials. We absolutely encourage new members and folks to come out and support the cause. We will have membership applications at the event. It’s very simple. There’s a one time sign up fee,” and she characterized the gathering as informal and youth-friendly: “It’s going to be informal. We’re going to have barbecue. It’s going to be friend friendly, really encourage young people to get out.” Multiple photos shared by organizers show enthusiasm at the Keys events.

Donalds’ biography and Capitol record were part of local context. Born Byron Lowell Donalds on October 28, 1978, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, he earned a Bachelor of Science in finance and marketing from Florida State University in 2002, served in the Florida House from 2016 to 2020, won a crowded nine-way Republican primary for the U.S. House in 2020 by 770 votes over Dane Eagle, and has represented Florida’s 19th congressional district since 2021. WUSF reported Donalds “is part of the conservative congressional Tea Party caucus and is highly regarded by Republican colleagues in his circle,” and that he “was nominated for House speaker multiple times in 2023.”

Controversy remains part of Donalds’ record in local briefings: WUSF reported he “was among 147 Republicans who voted to object to the election results from key swing states in 2020 and repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that former President Joe Biden was not the legitimate U.S. president.” A separate summary in campaign materials listed “146 other Republicans” in the objection vote; both figures have been cited in reporting. Political dynamics in the GOP primary remain fluid: a Sept. 29 James Madison Institute poll cited in Tallahassee put Casey DeSantis at 26% and Donalds at 23%, with Paul Renner at 7%, Jay Collins at 2%, Wilton Simpson at 2% and 39% undecided. An Instagram post from the campaign described a “productive Q&A session at Buzzard’s Roost” in Key Largo as Donalds continues to meet Keys voters while building his statewide campaign.