Ron DeSantis' team urges Florida lobbyists not to back Rep. Byron Donalds for governor
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political operation is making calls to state lobbyists, urging them not to support Rep. Byron Donalds for governor.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political operation is making calls urging state lobbyists not to support Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., whose 2026 bid for governor has already socked away more than $3 million — much of which has come from President Donald Trump’s donors.
The calls, according to seven people familiar with the effort who requested anonymity to speak freely, are attempts to curb any potential contributions from mostly Tallahassee-based lobbyists to Donalds’ campaign.
Donalds, who represents a southwest Florida district, announced his Trump-backed bid for governor last month, but there remains the prospect that DeSantis’ wife, Casey, could also jump in the race, which would set up a heavyweight GOP primary and continue the long-running political proxy war between Trump and DeSantis.
“They are becoming a lot more aggressive as this thing progresses,” a veteran Republican lobbyist who received one of the calls said. “There are no threats or anything direct like that, but come on. When you get a call from the governor, or anyone around them, in this sort of context, it’s a message-sender.”
Florida is three weeks into its state legislative session, when the same lobbyists DeSantis is urging not to support Donalds need DeSantis to sign bills into law for their clients.
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