Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) brushed off criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on Wednesday, arguing his record “speaks for itself” in why he should be Florida’s next governor. Ahead of Donalds’s announcement to join the 2026 gubernatorial election,

Fla., addressed rumors that Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis could toss her hat into the governor's race to succeed her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis.

As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis approaches the end of his second term in office, he's talking up one potential heir to succeed him in 2026: his wife, Casey DeSantis. And he's taking a shot at President Donald Trump 's pick to be the next governor.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declined to support a potential gubernatorial bid by Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, whom President Donald Trump recently endorsed.

DeSantis made the comments in Homestead during a news conference about immigration that had federal representation. He said President Donald Trump, who endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds over First Lady Casey DeSantis this week, “deserves all Republicans in particular to be supporting those efforts.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t immediately embracing U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds as his successor, but the Congressman anticipates that the Dunedin Republican could come around. “ I would love to earn it,” the Congressman said of a potential DeSantis endorsement during an interview on “ Clay and Buck .”

Florida gubernatorial candidate and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) on Wednesday responded to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) criticism that the congressman hasn’t been a part of conservative victories in Florida,