Florida Republican Makes His Bid for House Speaker

Sarah Arnold | October 20, 2023 7:45 PM

After Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed to secure enough votes for House Speaker, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) has thrown his hat into the race.

On Friday, Donalds announced his candidacy to take over former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) role before being ousted earlier this year.

According to close sources, Donalds will seek support in a closed-door GOP conference vote, which could occur as soon as Monday.

In addition to Donalds claiming he earned enough votes in the Speaker’s ballots, Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL.) backed Donalds on the second and third ballots this week.

“We’re going to have to solve this race quickly,” Buchanan said in a statement to Florida Politics. “I’ve served with Byron; he’s a conservative champion, and I hope my colleagues will consider his name as we look for a way forward. It’s about time Florida had a seat at the table.”

Florida Politics noted that Buchanan previously supported Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA.) before the Republican dropped out of the race. It is also worth mentioning that he reluctantly bid for Jordan; however, when the Ohio congressman saw his nomination end after three failed votes, Buchanan jumped ship.

Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL.) also supported the Sarasota native.

I supported @Jim_Jordan for our next Speaker. Unfortunately my votes for him on the floor and in conference to remain Speaker designate was not enough.

I now support @ByronDonalds for the next Speaker of the House 🇺🇸
— Cory Mills (@CoryMillsFL) October 20, 2023

Notably, Donalds supported Jordan on all three ballots this week. In January, he had initially supported Kevin McCarthy but bailed after a couple of ballots and after U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas suggested Donalds would make a better Speaker. That put Donalds in a position to negotiate rules concessions with McCarthy before ultimately supporting the California Republican when he won on a 15th ballot… Donalds had made his name and ambitions known to members. Now, Florida lawmakers see Donalds as a strong choice for Speaker.

Donalds is a longtime supporter of former President Trump and has made headlines for speaking out against the Biden family’s corruption. He has brought attention to President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and the shady ways the two have profited off foreign countries.