16 years ago, Byron Donalds was a man on a mission — with a microphone. As a Tea Party activist in Naples, Donalds hopped up in the back of a truck bed, and the rest is an only in America success story.

Fast forward to 2026, when Donalds is on the cusp of winning the Republican Party’s nomination to be Florida’s next governor. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.) has governed the Sunshine State admirably, and he has steered it through political crises during his time in office. 

But Floridians need an able successor to DeSantis, and Donalds is clearly the best pick. At the Washington Reporter, we are excited to follow in the footsteps of President Donald Trump in endorsing the man he wants to serve as his next governor.

“As Governor, Byron will have a BIG Voice, and work closely with me to advance our America First Agenda,” Trump said in endorsing Donalds. “He will fight tirelessly to help Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Military, Protect our Veterans, Advance American Energy DOMINANCE, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment. Byron Donalds will be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”

Throughout Donalds’s service in the Florida legislature and in the U.S. Congress, Donalds championed GOP priorities like border security, school choice, fiscal responsibility, and law and order.

While in Congress, Donalds became one of the GOP’s best and most effective communicators, regularly appearing on outlets like CNN to defend the Trump and GOP agenda to audiences that were eager to dismiss him. 

But dismiss Donalds they could not. 

In 2020, Donalds campaigned for Congress as a “Trump supporting, gun owning, liberty loving, pro-life, politically incorrect Black man.” Now, Donalds is poised to bring those same qualities to Tallahassee, and the Reporter is excited to see what he does next year as governor.

16 years ago, Donalds told his fellow Floridians that “we will win, because we are on the right side of history, because we conservatives are the majority.”