For almost a decade, politically aspirated Republicans have been plagued by catastrophic possibilities.
One day, President Donald Trump was able to publicly support his political rival.
That nightmare came true Thursday for Gopers, who are keeping an eye on the 2026 tribe of the governor of Florida. Trump has posted his “full and full approval” on social social about the possibility that it will run by Napolitan territory US Sen. Byron Donald.
“The announcement is approaching!” Donald posted in response to X.
Since 2018, Trump has been backed by nearly 700 major Republican races, according to data from election tracking website Ballotpedia. His favorite candidate has earned around 95% of these races. Gov. Ron DeSantis was undoubtedly the first to win the post for Trump.
DeSantis was restricted from his third run, so rumors that some of Florida’s biggest names are interested in the 2026 run, including former US lawmakers Matt Gaetz and First Lady Casey DeSantis It was being done. The road to the governor’s mansion has become extremely difficult.
“The governor’s race is over,” said the state senator, Trump’s intimate ally, who won presidential approval in the 2026 race for the Chief Financial Officer.
Let’s break down the winners and losers from Trump’s support. Where do they go from here?
Winner: Byron Donald
This is clear. Trump chose Donald to succeed the Florida Throne Maga. Few people believe Democrats will have plenty of opportunities to reclaim their governor’s mansion in 2026, as Trump won double digits Florida in November.
In his true social post, Trump praised Donald for his policy position on immigration, the military, the economy and gun rights.
Trump hinted at potential approval earlier this week, suggesting in a mysterious post that promoted a poll that came out in January in favor of Donald. In that first post, we included a photo of a long list of notable donors Trump said to support Donald.
That included many Republicans close to Trump, including officials from the Trump administration. Scott Bescent chooses to become Trump’s secretary for the Treasury Department. Kelly Loeffler runs the management of Trump’s small business. And Brian Ballard, a prominent Florida lobbyist, was one of more than three dozen names.
Loser: Desantis Family
In January, DeSantis posted that he plans to become deeply involved in the governor’s race in 2026.
The Florida Freedom Fund, supported by DeSantis, who helped defeat the voting initiative on marijuana and abortion in 2024, was caught up in the votes up and down, including the governor’s race, and DeSantis declared.
“We need to select strong leaders who will build the success of FL and fulfill the promises made by voters,” Desantis posted on X.
The powerful conservative DeSantis could have been his wife, Casey. Earlier this month, a report surfaced about the governor’s first lady’s interest in race. The Desantis family has won many friends among the Florida donor class, and the governor has proven his prolific fundraiser.
Casey DeSantis will be a big deal for his family to win a term at the governor’s mansion. Casey was the first woman ever to be elected to the Post, and she was able to make her mark in the Florida government.
It also means another four years of relevance for Ron DeSantis, who showed interest in higher offices in his 2024 run with President.
Trump’s support complicates all of that.
Winner (ISH): Florida donor
Florida agricultural commissioner Wilton Simpson manages a political committee that sits at about $30 million.
Simpson was a mom, but it is widely believed that money is starter fuel due to the governor’s potential run. (The campaign is expensive, but the man who runs to the agricultural committee after 18 months doesn’t need $30 million.)
With Trump’s support of Donald, candidates like Simpson may never consider taking part in the race again. If Republican primary has proven to be non-competitive, it could be big news for the Pocket Book of Political Donors.
Again, others like Simpson, DeSantis and Getz might run anyway, regardless of Trump’s support.
“What I think is going to happen is going to be a candidate Trump slate against DeSantis’ slate,” Gluters said.
Loser: Matt Getz
Gaetz is probably the most complicated person in all of this. Trump has shown great confidence in his former US representative in the Panhandle region by choosing him as the US Attorney General. Trump remained a close ally even after Gaetz retreated amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Last month, Gaetz told the Tampa Bay Times he was interested in running for governor. A few weeks later, Trump publicly supported Donald.
Gaetz can be run anytime anyway. He is loved by the Maga base. However, Gaetz has been a very complementary to Donald in the past. And he has not been shown to be keen on crossing Trump.
“Byron is a great friend, and this is a huge boost to his campaign. President Trump’s support is the strongest in American politics,” Getz texted a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times on Friday morning. I’ve sent it.
When asked if he was still watching the run for the governor, Gaetz replied, “As President Trump often says: we’ll see!”
