Byron Donalds, Florida governor race front-runner, keeps Trump off the agenda
Byron Donalds, the Republican nominee in the Florida governor race, campaigned at Broward county's Green Glades West ranch without once mentioning Donald Trump, even as Trump prepares a Friday rally in Fort Myers days before the 3 November election.
Byron Donalds, Florida governor race front-runner, keeps Trump off the agenda
The Republican nominee for Florida governor stood before supporters at Broward county's Green Glades West ranch and laid out his case - affordability, his opponents, his vision for the state. One name never came up: Donald Trump.
Byron Donalds, a three-term congressman, delivered the stump speech at a rally in Florida's bluest county without mentioning Trump, the war in Iran, gas prices or healthcare premiums. Instead, he blamed Joe Biden and what he called the radical policies of the Democrats for affordability problems, even though neither has held power in Washington for almost two years.
His targets included New York's democratic socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani, Dr Anthony Fauci and his rival in the governor's race, David Jolly.
- He attacked Biden and Democratic policies over affordability
- He criticized Zohran Mamdani and Dr Anthony Fauci
- He took aim at his opponent, David Jolly
- He never mentioned Trump, Iran, gas prices or healthcare premiums
The event was hosted by environmentalist and businessman "Alligator" Ron Bergeron, a close ally of Ron DeSantis, whose job Donalds hopes to take. Republican senator Ashley Moody, also on the 3 November ballot, joined him at the joint rally last Friday.
The website purge and the reporter's question
The silence on the stump follows a deliberate step by the campaign. Last month, Donalds's team removed almost every mention of Trump from his campaign website, including "enact the Trump agenda", which had been listed as his top priority.
Pressed by a reporter on whether the omission was a deliberate uncoupling from the president, Donalds pushed back.
"Of course I'm going to be there. What kind of question is that?"
That answer came when asked about Trump's rally - Donalds said he would attend. On the question of his speech, he snapped: "This is what I'm talking about. You guys are so caught up in, 'Do you agree with this, do you agree with that?'" He added: "I was giving a speech about my campaign for governor because I'm running for governor."
Trump is coming to Fort Myers anyway
Trump announced he will hold a rally in Fort Myers on Friday, a little more than a week before election day, as part of a late tour for vulnerable red-state candidates.
Other Republicans have faced the same balancing act. Texas governor Greg Abbott, for one, discovered an unavoidable commitment when Trump visited San Antonio this month.
Analysts and Democrats weigh the tactic
Political analyst Larry Sabato, founder and director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics and author of Sabato's Crystal Ball, sees the distancing as strategy rather than a break.
"Donalds is super-Maga. This is just a campaign tactic being used by quite a few Republicans all across the country."
Sabato added that Donalds "has no choice but to make the most out of Trump, but not be devoured by him", calling it "a very fine line" to walk. He noted that Florida is no longer a purple state: "It's not even close. Trump won it easily, and so you can't underestimate the Republican vote there, or overestimate the Democratic vote."
Democrats see an opening. At a Thursday press conference, Florida Democratic party chair Nikki Fried said that although Donalds had scrubbed the president from his website, within hours "he went running back into Daddy's arms" - and that "there is no hiding from this presidency". She also warned: "Tomorrow, Donalds and the rest of the Florida Republicans will once again reveal their true loyalties."
Democrats nationally pledged an extra million dollars on Tuesday to bolster Jolly's late campaigning. The party cites Donalds's record, including his refusal to certify Biden's 2020 election win, his argument that undocumented immigrants are not entitled to due process, his denial of human-made climate change, his backing of abortion restrictions and his opposition to transgender women in sport.
The race against Jolly still tilts toward the Republican. Sabato's Crystal Ball and Fox News both list the contest as "leans Republican". Registered Republican voters in Florida outnumber Democrats by more than 1.5 million, and Republicans have held the governor's mansion since January 1999. An NBC6/Telemundo 51 survey published last week showed Hispanic voters favoring Donalds 48%-43% over Jolly, while Jolly led among Black voters 76-10.
If elected, Donalds would be Florida's first Black governor. He says he will be at Trump's Fort Myers rally on Friday, a little more than a week before the 3 November election day.
