Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds launches his “Defending The Florida Dream” statewide tour Monday in The Villages with a 10:30 a.m. event at the Hotel Eastport. The Naples Republican’s campaign announced the tour will have a policy-driven focus promoting three core principles: affordability, achievability and accountability. The first event in the world’s largest active adult retirement community will focus chiefly on the rising cost of health care, one of the most immediate financial pressures for seniors living on fixed incomes in Florida.
“Trump-endorsed Byron Donalds is laser-focused on defeating the Democrats and keeping Florida Red this November,” said Ryan Smith, chief strategist for the Donalds campaign. The tour comes after Donalds raised $22.2 million during the first quarter of 2026, with more than 10,000 donors contributing during the quarter. His campaign called the $22.2 million raised “unprecedented for a non-incumbent candidate” in Florida’s gubernatorial race.
Donalds previously raised $45 million during 2025, including $13.1 million in the fourth quarter alone. Florida Politics noted the total was the largest amount ever raised by a gubernatorial campaign at that point in the election cycle in Florida. The fundraising success positions Donalds as the frontrunner in the Republican primary to succeed outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis, who cannot seek another term because of term limits.
At future tour events, Donalds will address pocketbook issues including insurance premiums, property taxes and hidden government fees that “squeeze household budgets.” He also plans events centered on public safety, education and expanding economic opportunities in the state. The tour serves as a rollout of Donalds’ top campaign issues, building on themes he stressed when announcing his plan to “fix the insurance prices; build new roads; finish restoring the Everglades; make Florida the financial capital of the world; and ensure our kids master math, reading, writing and reasoning.”
Donalds has assembled endorsements from President Donald Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who became the first sitting governor to support his campaign, Donald Trump Jr., Elon Musk, Rick Scott, Mike Johnson, Jimmy Patronis and Phil Mickelson. His campaign says it has support from a majority of Florida sheriffs, 17 members of Florida’s congressional delegation and 75 percent of the Republican caucus in the Florida House. He is running against Azoria CEO James Fishback, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner in the Republican primary.
Recent polling shows Donalds leading the Republican field with varying levels of support depending on whether Casey DeSantis enters the race. A February survey from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab found Donalds ahead with 28 percent support if Casey DeSantis enters the race, with 24 percent going for her. If she does not run, Donalds leads with 31 percent support. When Republican voters were told that Donald Trump had endorsed Donalds, his support rose to 47 percent, while Casey DeSantis’s fell to 12 percent.
“Donalds is positioning himself as the candidate with a forward-looking plan to protect and strengthen the Florida Dream,” a campaign email reads. The tour is designed to tackle issues that matter most to Floridians and offer “a roadmap for protecting the Florida Dream and making it attainable for the next generation.” An Emerson College Polling survey showed Donalds at 46 percent support among likely Republican voters with all other contenders in single digits.
The campaign says affordability in Florida has become the defining issue for voters in the upcoming election. Donalds will use the tour events to discuss how his administration would address the financial pressures facing Florida families and seniors. The tour represents a strategic effort to connect directly with voters across the state while building momentum for the Republican primary.