A.G. Gancarski
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds continues to score endorsements for his gubernatorial bid, and a Florida congressional colleague is the latest to announce.
U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean of Fernandina Beach is vouching for Donalds as a “rock-solid conservative who will lead Florida boldly into the future.”
“His unwavering commitment to strengthening our economy and making Florida more affordable is the kind of leadership voters want in their next Governor,” Bean first told Townhall, a national conservative website in a statement that ran Tuesday morning.
“Byron will deliver for families and seniors by expanding opportunity, lowering taxes and insurance rates, and cutting wasteful spending,” Bean added. “I’ve had the privilege of serving alongside Byron in the Florida Legislature and now in Congress, and I know firsthand he will be an outstanding Governor. He has my complete and enthusiastic support.”
Bean is only the latest prominent Republican to endorse Donalds, whose campaign initially launched with encouragement from President Donald Trump.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott also endorsed Donalds, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Fifteen members of the Florida congressional delegation are also on board now, along with state and local lawmakers who already threw their support behind Donalds.
Bean’s endorsement comes at a pivotal time for the Donalds campaign, amid uncertainty about whether First Lady Casey DeSantis or Lt. Gov. Jay Collins ultimately will run. Gov. Ron DeSantis has suggested that Donalds isn’t as conservative as he would like, setting the stage for an argument in the Primary that could be interpreted as the latest Trump-DeSantis proxy war.
Regardless of whether Casey DeSantis (a former newscaster in the Jacksonville market Bean represents) or Collins ultimately decide to run, other Primary challengers may emerge.
Among them: former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, a lawyer who has Jacksonville ties who sources suggest could be preparing to announce.
If campaign finance is an indication, Donalds has the resources he needs to make his case. He has raised nearly $23 million in his eponymous Friends of Byron Donalds political committee, with close to $2 million more already deposited into his campaign account.
