BONITA SPRINGS— Rep. Byron Donalds kicked off his 2026 gubernatorial campaign this weekend with the help of Reps. Cory Mills and Kat Cammack, as well as with videos of support from Donald Trump, Jr, Benny Johnson, and Charlie Kirk. Oh, and of course there were a handful of Progressive and pro-illegal immigration demonstrators hurling obscenities at Donalds.
Rep. Donalds, who was introduced by his wife Erika, spoke to The Floridian moments before addressing estimated crowd of about 400, about the expected line of attack that he will endure as his gubernatorial campaign takes off, and the claim by protestors that he is a "white supremacist."
Yes, Donalds is being called a "white supremacist."
"It's the most idiotic thing to call me a white supremacist, but frankly, that is why their party is losing ground. That’s why their party is not resonating with the American people," said Donalds. "We are going to demonstrate to the liberals, who may not agree with us on policy, that our solutions are the best things for all Americans, and obviously all Floridians."
During his address, Donalds, who possesses one of "the most conservative voting record in the country," outlined his unabated support for law enforcement, praising first responders and Governor Ron DeSantis for keeping Floridians safe.
"Law enforcement will continue to be honored and respected in Florida," said Donalds before appearing to take a direct jab at the pro-illegal alien protestors outside the event. "We will continue to lock up criminals and we will continue to work with President Trump and his administration to remove illegal aliens from Florida."
When asked about how his potential Republican gubernatorial primary opponent, First Lady Casey DeSantis and her online activists, could attack him over his past indescretions when he was 10-20 years of age, the married father of 3 dismissed the potential line of attack, saying that he welcomed the attack.
"The truth is, yeah, when I was 18-20, I made a lot of mistakes. I regret those mistakes personally, I wish I could have done something different, but in life, we don't get to redo the past," he said. "So if you want to talk about things I did when I was 18-20, be my guest, go right ahead."
In addition, Donalds also told The Floridian what he would do first if elected governor, pointing to insurance and transportation as the top issues that he would first address. Donalds reiterated those points during his address.
Complete coverage of the Donalds for Governor campaign can be found here
