With five days until the Republican gubernatorial Primary, front-runner Byron Donalds is still facing questions about why Gov. Ron DeSantis hasn’t endorsed him.
DeSantis recently said former House Speaker Paul Renner would make a “good Governor” should he be elected. When asked about those comments, Donalds said “campaigns are never just a straight road” and they “take all their turns.” Donalds then stressed his “full and total” endorsement from President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and most members of the state and federal legislative delegations.
But while the list of endorsements is long, the conspicuous absence of DeSantis continues to intrigue reporters covering what has been a static race amid various sordid sideshows.
Donalds has predicted the current Governor will come around in the end.
Last month, Donalds said he looks forward to DeSantis’ “endorsement and being out there on the campaign trail with him.”
Donalds previously said he was “not concerned” about the lack of an endorsement from a Governor still sore that Donalds backed Trump in 2024’s Republican Primary race.
DeSantis, for his part, hasn’t been shy about criticizing Donalds.
The Governor commented on Donalds’ recent concerns that fiscally constrained counties would be hurt by Amendment 3, the property tax measure on the Fall ballot that would raise the homestead exemption on non-school levies to $150,000 next year and $250,000 in 2028, with later increases tied to the consumer price index.
“I worry about taxpayers who local governments have overtaxed. Property tax revenue has nearly doubled for local governments this decade. The state has reduced its budget for 4 straight years — local governments can do the same. Floridians should not be taxed out of their homes!”
DeSantis also said that Donalds had not been part of the state’s successful efforts to defeat amendments to the constitution that would have legalized adult-use cannabis and reversed abortion restrictions.
Even before Donalds ran for Governor, he took issue with the current chief executive’s position on Black history curriculum.
During a 2023 interview on the Fox Business Network, the Southwest Florida Congressman bristled at DeSantis World claiming Donalds, a Republican, sided with Vice President Kamala Harris’ criticisms of Florida’s Black history standards.
“This is a dumb story, and this is brought to us by the DeSantis campaign. They’re the ones who made this an issue,” Donalds said.
DeSantis’ presidential campaign super PAC identified Donalds as a member of the “Trump campaign” in a tweet highlighting the Governor’s position.
DeSantis also has excoriated the “ridiculous” lack of debates between the front-runner and the rest of the field as a “farce” that shuts voters out ahead of the Primary.
A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski
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