Press Release
By Byron Donalds, Republican, for Governor
7/15/25
NAPLES, FL – A poll conducted by St. Pete Polls for Florida Politics shows Trump-endorsed candidate for Florida Governor Byron Donalds dominating multiple potential primary challengers in the 2026 Republican primary.
“Byron Donalds will be Florida’s next Governor because he is the only proven conservative fighter endorsed by President Trump. Byron is working hard to pass President Trump’s agenda in Congress. Byron is barnstorming the state meeting with conservative voters. And Byron is raising the resources necessary to win this campaign. As Governor, Byron Donalds will fight side by side with President Trump to Make America Great Again.” – Ryan Smith, Chief Strategist for the Byron Donalds Campaign
The poll of likely Republican primary voters conducted July 8-10 tested several possible Republican primary scenarios. Donalds led decisively in every match-up.
Read the full article on the poll below:
Poll: Byron Donalds emerges as early favorite for Governor over Casey DeSantis
And his lead only gets bigger if Jay Collins runs as Gov. DeSantis’ natural successor instead.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds leads First Lady Casey DeSantis among Florida Republican voters, as other rumored candidates remain largely unknown.
That’s according to a survey conducted by St. Pete Polls for Florida Politics. It also shows that if another ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Jay Collins, runs instead of the First Lady, he will start at the bottom of the GOP field.
If the field included Donalds, Casey DeSantis, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and former House Speaker Paul Renner, almost 35% of voters now pick Donalds as the party nominee, compared to over 27% who like DeSantis, 3% who favor Simpson and just over 2% who want Renner.
The poll of 831 likely Republican Primary voters collected responses from July 8-10, and pollsters report a 3.4-percentage-point margin of error.
If Collins runs and DeSantis does not, the support for Donalds would rise to almost 44%, while Simpson jumps to about 4% and Renner would almost reach 3%. But Collins registers at only a bit over 2%.
The pollster surveyed voters about a field with Collins in the mix as DeSantis decides who will be appointed as Lieutenant Governor to replace Jeanette Nuñez, who resigned from that post to become President of Florida International University.
Collins has been among the most discussed prospects, which could set him up as a political successor to the Governor if his wife has no interest in the job.
The survey also offered up a Donalds-Casey DeSantis race as a head-to-head, mentioning that Donalds would have the support of President Donald Trump and DeSantis would be endorsed by the Governor.
In that scenario, Donalds’ support grows to greater than 49%, on the brink of a majority vote. DeSantis, though, shows up with just over 21%. As for a similar scenario with Donalds facing Collins, the Congressman would have 57% support and Collins would receive less than 10% of the vote.
Team Byron Donalds | 10951 Harmony Park Drive, Ste. 4, Bonita Springs, FL 34135 | Naples, FL 34109 US
