WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s just the beginning of the campaign cycle for the 2026 Florida governor race, but a post about it on social media by President Donald Trump is garnering attention. It featured a poll with Trump’s ally, Republican Congressman Byron Donalds of Southwest Florida leading the pack in a “hypothetical 4-way Republican primary election.”

What You Need To Know

  • A poll by Victory Insights taken at the end of last month found Rep. Byron Donalds with the most support in a “hypothetical 4-way Republican primary election.”

  • President Donald Trump posted the results on social media. 

  • FGCU Professor Emeritus Peter Bergerson says says he expects the upcoming summer to be a time when candidates begin to announce a run, and that fundraising efforts will be a key clue to watch.

The poll by Victory Insights taken at the end of last month featured four potential candidates for Governor including Donalds, former Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. 

FGCU Professor Emeritus Peter Bergerson says the President’s post signals support for Donalds. “His elections have been really non-contest, over 60% of the vote. So, he’s very well known, popular here in Southwest Florida. He served in the Florida legislature, and so he does have some knowledge of the Florida government. I would say that his strength is being a traditional, loyal Republican,” said Bergerson.

The Victory Insights poll did not feature some of the other high-profile names who could jump into the race, like former Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis. Due to Florida’s term limits, Gov. Ron DeSantis cannot run for re-election again. 

A University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab poll released Tuesday found Casey DeSantis to have the highest favorability among “speculative candidates” including Donalds. 

In an interview with Fox News last week, Governor DeSantis said, “It’s not something that she’s seeking out.”

“I think that if DeSantis’ wife decided to get in the race, she would be clearly the front runner. Even though she has really been behind the scenes, I think she’s been very active. I think she’s very articulate, name recognition, the continuation of the tradition,” said Bergerson.

Bergerson says he expects the upcoming summer to be a time when candidates begin to announce a run, and that fundraising efforts will be a key clue to watch.