Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds announced Tuesday that he's entering the 2026 race to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is ineligible to seek another term after eight years in office. Donalds enters the race with President Donald Trump's endorsement. Donalds has been a frequent Trump surrogate and was on the shortlist to be his vice presidential running mate last year. DeSantis, who cannot run again due to term limits and unsuccessfully tried a presidential bid against Trump last year, has not yet made any official endorsement for his successor. Just before Donalds' announcement, DeSantis suggested that his wife, Casey DeSantis, would be a worthy governor and said Donalds was not a part of his victories on conservative priorities. Donalds praised the governor Tuesday, saying he had done a “tremendous job for our state.” Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News, Donalds did not directly address the speculation about a Casey DeSantis run but noted his Trump endorsement and his record in elected office. “For a long time, I've been in the trenches, in a lot of these battles, dealing with conservatism,” he added, saying he would prioritize lowering insurance costs, promoting the cryptocurrency industry and preserving the waterways of the Everglades, the largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S. The 46-year-old Donalds, who lives in Naples in southwest Florida, was born and raised in Brooklyn. He graduated from Florida State University. He was working as a financial adviser when then-Gov. Rick Scott appointed him to the board of trustees at a state college, cementing his rise in the state GOP. He entered the Florida House in 2016, won a seat in the U.S. House in 2020 and has been on the short list for multiple opportunities ever since, including being nominated in January 2023 by the far-right wing of as a candidate for House speaker.