Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL) portrayed a very positive picture of the State of Florida while speaking recently at a political breakfast fundraiser hosted by the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee.
"I used to say off and on that we were just a retiree state, but we're not anymore. We are an everything state," Donalds. "Everybody's coming here for a bunch of different reasons. Other Americans are coming here simply because their states suck and they need to get out, and they need relief.
According to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Florida had one of the largest population growths of any state in the country from 2023 to 2024. Much of that migration to the Sunshine State came from New York and Chicago, as city leaders veer toward more leftist polices.
Bluntly, Rep. Donalds called leaders of both cities "dumb" over the polices. The congressman's remarks also come after the Democratic primary victory of socialist Zohran Mamdani in New York City's mayoral race.
The victory even prompted Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer to roll out the welcome mat to spooked New Yorkers over Mamdani's proposed policies, which include "taxing corporations and the 1%" and raising property taxes.
Donalds said Florida could be "the financial capital of the world."
"We are going to continue to lead. We are going to continue to be the Free State of Florida," Donalds continued. "We are going to be the mantle upon which the other 49 states look for ideas and how to get stuff done."
Donalds is looking to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis in Tallahassee next fall. The governor, to his credit, has positioned Florida as a deep red state under his leadership.
Since taking office in 2019, Florida has gone from blue to red in active registered voters. The GOP currently has over 5.5 million registrations to Democrats' 4.2 million, a difference of over 1.3 million.
Democrats held a 225,000 registration advantage in 2019.
While good for Donalds on paper, don't expect DeSantis to be running to his corner anytime soon. The pair's relationship is frosty at best, with neither talking to each other at last week's opening of "Alligator Alcatraz," Florida's new illegal alien detention facility.
