On paper, the Republican primary to be Florida’s next governor appears to be little more than a formality.
The clear front-runner, Rep. Byron Donalds, carries into the final weeks of the race President Donald Trump’s endorsement, the backing of most of the state GOP’s establishment, a commanding fundraising advantage and little opposition on the airwaves.
Instead, the contest has become a bitter succession fight driven largely by one powerful holdout: Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Still immensely popular among Florida Republicans but barred by term limits from seeking reelection, DeSantis has refused to hand the baton to Donalds and has spent months publicly and privately arguing the Naples congressman is unfit to replace him. He has even shared his reservations directly with Trump, according to a person close to DeSantis with knowledge of a recent conversation between the two.
Yet DeSantis has failed to throw his support behind an alternative, instead undercutting other Republicans trying to take down Donalds. He has declined to elevate Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, despite appointing him to the post just a year ago, and he has dismissed the candidacy of former state House Speaker Paul Renner, once a close ally who helped muscle the governor’s agenda through the legislature before his presidential campaign.
