DeSantis backs Byron Donalds and three other Republicans at Tampa forum

During a Florida Republican Party forum in Tampa, Governor Ron DeSantis endorsed a slate of four candidates: Rep. Byron Donalds, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. He emphasized the need to combat voter apathy and encouraged Floridians to “storm the polls” for the Republican ticket. Donalds, who also enjoys President Donald Trump’s backing, praised DeSantis’s record and pledged to build on it if elected governor.

The endorsement follows Donalds’s primary victory over Lt. Gov. Jay Collins by a sizable margin. In the upcoming general election, Donalds will face former Republican Rep. David Jolly, now running as a Democrat, in a race rated “likely Republican” by the Cook Political Report.