TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida representatives Matt Gaetz and Byron Donalds both generated headlines amid rumors that they would run for governor in 2026. Gaetz brushed off reports of a possible run, but Donalds confirmed that he was actively considering a run.
Both men are members of the House Freedom Caucus, the group of far-right Congresspeople currently behind the blocking of a government funding bill amid the looming threat of a shutdown.
Reports of Gaetz' possible gubernatorial run began this week when multiple GOP donors told NBC News that Gaetz was "holding court" and "strongly implied several times he would be running for governor" during a reception at a designation ceremony of Miami Republican state representative and incoming Florida House Speaker, Danny Perez.
“He’s 100 percent in,” a Florida Republican operative told NBC “I think Gaetz is an instant front-runner and from what I hear he’s already won the Trump primary.”
Gaetz subsequently dismissed NBC's report as "overblown clickbait," claiming his main priority was getting former president Donald Trump elected president in 2024.
Gaetz recently made headlines for threatening to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over dissatisfaction with government funding measures and demands to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden despite a lack of evidence linking Biden to any wrongdoing or criminal charges. Gaetz has previously faced legal scrutiny amid reports that he sought a preemptive pardon from Trump in 2020 amid a Justice Department investigation examining Gaetz' alleged role in the sexual trafficking of a 17-year-old girl.
Donalds, a fellow Trump endorser who ran as an alternative to Kevin McCarthy for the House speakership confirmed to Fox News this week that he was considering a run for governor, though he also claimed Trump's 2024 campaign was his main focus. Donalds also claimed he would be Trump's running mate if asked.
Despite his far-right credentials, Donalds has repeatedly found himself chastised by his own fellow Republicans. Most recently, Gaetz, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene and other far-right figures bashed Donalds for negotiating a stopgap resolution to keep the government funded through October. Donalds' negotiated resolution, which includes funding for the conflict in Ukraine, led to Gaetz vowing to do everything possible to defeat it.
Donalds also provoked accusations of being a "RINO," meaning "Republican in name only" after he publicly disagreed with educational standards championed by DeSantis requiring that students learn "how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit." Though Donalds approved of the standards as a whole, he said the controversial line about benefits needed to be corrected.
"Slavery was terrible in our country," Donalds said in an interview with WINK News. "It was terrible for Black people coming to America, and it was just flat out wrong, no doubt about that." His remarks prompted DeSantis' team to join other far-right Republicans in comparing Donalds to Vice President Kamala Harris and "swinging for the liberal media fences".
The 2026 race for Florida governor is expected to be crowded and contentious as Gov. Ron DeSantis faces term limits at the end of his second consecutive term.