Donalds, a rising star in the party who was once a contender for House speaker, is on the cusp of taking the big jump in his political career as a front-running contender to govern Trump’s adopted home state.

That leaves Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, a Trilby Republican, as the last Florida Cabinet official still with potential to get in the governor’s race. He is a former Senate President who received Trump’s endorsement for his Agriculture Commissioner campaign in 2022.

President Donald Trump made Rep. Byron Donalds the early frontrunner in Florida's 2026 gubernatorial race to replace term-limited Ron DeSantis, saying on Truth Social on Thursday that he would have his endorsement.