Chris Hudson joins Byron Donalds’ increasingly high-power campaign team

donalds hudson
The move comes amid growing expectations that Donalds will run for Governor.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds continues to bring heavy hitters in Florida Republican politics onto his campaign. Chris Hudson, a 10-year veteran of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), has joined the campaign as a Senior Advisor.

He follows Tony Fabrizio, President Donald Trump’s top pollster, and longtime GOP campaign consultants Brad Herold and Ryan Smith, all of whom recently joined Donalds’ team in the same capacity. That increase in political firepower comes amid wide speculation that Donalds, a Naples Republican, will run for Governor in 2026.

Hudson has worked in Florida politics for 17 years.

In addition to his decade at AFP, including five years as state director for Florida operations and another five as Vice President of Government Affairs, Hudson also worked at The Foundation for Government Accountability under President and CEO Tarren Bragdon.

Hudson also worked in the Florida Senate for former state Sen. Lee Constantine, now a Seminole County Commissioner. And Hudson worked for the Republican Party of Florida when Dean Cannon was House Speaker.

Hudson has also done lobbying at the federal level and around the country. He now works as Vice President of Political Strategy for Ace Political.

Donalds, meanwhile, has made more concrete moves toward a state run.

He signaled to party members at a Republican Party of Florida meeting in Orlando that he was eyeing a statewide run and reportedly held a private event to make clear his intention to run.

He just won election to a third term in the U.S. House, and last year briefly made a run for Speaker after the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Donalds came in second in a final conference vote to now-Speaker Mike Johnson.

Donalds became one of Trump’s highest-profile surrogates in the 2024 Presidential Election and was under consideration at one point to be Trump’s running mate on the Republican ticket.

Jacob Ogles

Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg. His work has appeared nationally in The Advocate, Wired and other publications. Events like SRQ’s Where The Votes Are workshops made Ogles one of Southwest Florida’s most respected political analysts, and outlets like WWSB ABC 7 and WSRQ Sarasota have featured his insights. He can be reached at [email protected].


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