Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who is running to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the governor’s race in 2026, announced Monday that he has received the endorsement of 15 top Florida sheriffs.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, the first sheriff to formally back Donalds, said in a statement that the congressman is “the leader that Florida needs in this moment, as we work and stand with President Trump to implement the mandate he received from the American people and the citizens of our great state of Florida.”
Nocco said Donalds had his full support.
“I know Congressman Donalds will stand with law enforcement as we work to keep Florida safe and will be innovative in his ideas to create jobs, improve education and make our economy more competitive,” Nocco said. “Florida has been blessed to have a fantastic legacy of Governors with Governor Rick Scott and Governor Ron DeSantis. I know future Governor Byron Donalds will continue that legacy and he will keep making Florida great.”
Similarly, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey described Donalds as a “proven no-nonsense champion for law enforcement who will always put our citizens, our cops, and our constitution first!”
“He is committed to being tough on crime and even tougher on criminals and will never tolerate woke policies that let criminals roam free!” Ivey said in a statement. “Under his leadership, criminals will be locked behind bars where they belong and those that came to our country illegally will continue to see that Florida has zero tolerance for those that can’t follow the laws of our great nation!”
In addition to Nocco and Ivey, the other sheriffs who formally endorsed Donalds for Florida governor include:
- Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith
- Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk
- Duval County Sheriff T.K. Waters
- Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden
- Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister
- Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers
- Jackson County Sheriff Donnie Edenfield
- Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno
- Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek
- Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz
- Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay
- St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro
- Wakulla County Sheriff Jared Miller
Donalds said he’s “incredibly honored” to have the support of sheriffs from across the Sunshine State.
“As governor, I will be 100% committed to law and order and keeping Florida the safest state in the nation,” he said. “I will stand in lockstep with our sheriffs and law enforcement as we work to protect Florida from criminal illegal aliens, keep drugs off our streets, and implement strong public safety laws to protect our families.”
The endorsements follow positive polling for Donalds, who has positioned himself as the “law and order candidate,” with a survey from The American Promise earlier this month showing him leading potential opponents by wide margins in both the initial and informed ballots.
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