Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) teased Friday that he may throw his hat into the ring to replace outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
“We’ll see what happens,” he told fellow guest Puck’s Tara Palmeri Friday evening on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” when asked about the 2026 gubernatorial race.
Sources close to Donalds told The Hill last month that the close ally to President Trump has approached Florida donors and also made notable political hires, such as the president’s 2016 and 2024 pollster Tony Fabrizio.
Maher asked the two guests whether they thought DeSantis’s wife, Casey DeSantis, could run for the position herself. Palmeri promptly redirected the question toward Donalds.
“I mean, nobody’s in the race right now,” Donalds responded.
“You mean you might jump in there?” Maher asked.
Donalds shrugged, telling the HBO host to ask the reporter to his left.
Palmeri went on to cite her own sources and recent polls, noting that Donalds, Casey DeSantis and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) — who resigned from Congress and later withdrew his name from consideration to head Trump’s Justice Department amid controversy — are fan favorites for the job.
“We’ll see what happens,” Donalds repeated.
In January, Gaetz suggested he had begun to contemplate a run for the governorship while sources told NBC News Friday that Florida’s first lady is seriously considering a bid.
DeSantis, who ran an unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign against Trump, is term limited and cannot seek reelection.
The GOP governor brushed off rumors earlier this year that he would appoint himself to replace former Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in the Senate, after he was tapped and later confirmed for secretary of State. DeSantis named the Sunshine State’s former attorney general, Ashley Moody, to fill the seat instead.
