Byron Donalds received endorsements Tuesday from Jay Collins and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Florida PAC in his campaign for governor, weeks after Donalds defeated Collins in the Republican primary.
Donalds announced Collins’ endorsement in a post to X, where he praised Collins’ military service and said Republicans are united ahead of the November election.
“I’m proud to have the endorsement of [Jay Collins], who has served our country heroically,” Donalds wrote. “Republicans are fully united to WIN in Florida this November.”
Collins was one of 11 Republicans who sought the party’s nomination for governor in the Aug. 18 primary. Donalds won the nomination with 811,131 votes, or 47.79 percent, while Collins finished second with 427,014 votes, or 25.16 percent, according to official results from the Florida Department of State. James Fishback finished third with 10.48 percent, followed by former House Speaker Paul Renner with 8.55 percent. Donalds advanced to the November general election after receiving more than 384,000 votes more than Collins.
The NFIB Florida PAC, the political action committee of the NFIB in Florida, also endorsed Donalds for governor at a campaign event hosted by an NFIB member small business.
Bill Herrle, NFIB Florida executive director, said the organization’s support was based on Donalds’ positions on issues affecting small businesses, including insurance costs and transparency.
“Florida’s small business owners are proud to endorse Byron Donalds as Florida’s next governor,” Herrle said. “Our small businesses need leaders who understand the challenges they face and support policies that help Main Street grow and thrive.”
Herrle said Donalds has a plan to address several issues facing small business owners, including what NFIB described as Florida’s high insurance costs. He also cited Donalds’ commitment to increasing transparency and lowering costs.
