Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced his endorsement of Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL) by praising his commitment to law and order through a statement on social media this week.
"Byron is a Freedom Caucus conservative & proven FL House leader. He’s committed to continuing our fight to punish child predators, support law enforcement, protect the unborn, honor parents’ rights, defend 2A, and win against the woke left," Uthmeier wrote. "He has my endorsement for Governor!"
Attorney General Uthmeier's support follows a majority of Florida sheriffs backing Rep. Donalds for governor, including Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero Stutz, Duval County Sheriff T.K. Waters, Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers, Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith, Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay, Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden, and more.
"I am incredibly honored to have earned the endorsement of sheriffs from across our great Sunshine State," Donalds previously said. "As Governor, I will be 100% committed to law and order and keeping Florida the safest state in the nation."
Uthmeier was appointed attorney general by Gov. Ron DeSantis in February 2025. Notably, DeSantis has not joined Uthmeier in backing Rep. Donalds for governor, at least not yet, with the Republican primary less than seven weeks away.
Gov. DeSantis has indicated he's unlikely to endorse a candidate until after the GOP primary is decided.
Regardless, Attorney General Uthmeier's support adds another big-name backing Donalds in his bid, which includes President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and U.S. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Randy Fine (R-FL).
Donalds also received support from two future leaders of the Florida Legislature on the same day. At this point, Donalds is essentially running up the endorsement score, and all that's left is victory.
Another big-name, Rep. Meg Weinberger (R-Palm Beach Gardens) was reportedly seen having dinner with Uthmeier after the Republican Party of Florida's Sunshine State Showdown event last week. Weinberger is a close ally to President Trump, who endorsed Uthmeier in his bid for a full term as attorney general in October 2025.
Donalds is in a Republican primary with Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and businessman James Fishback.
The primary is Aug. 18.
