Byron Donalds' campaign reported raising $90 million for his gubernatorial bid, with Division of Elections records showing nearly $10 million in contributions to his campaign account and more than $76.2 million to the Friends of Byron Donalds political committee through June 26. The campaign raised nearly $2 million between June 20 and June 26. Contributors donating at least $250,000 during that week included GOPAC Election Fund, Ferreira Construction of New Jersey, Phillips Infrastructure of Tennessee, and the Southern Group. The campaign recently launched a $20 million statewide ad buy on television and digital platforms.
Donalds secured endorsements in the past week from U.S. Sen.
Ashley Moody, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Agriculture Secretary Wilton Simpson, CFO Blaise Ingoglia, incoming Florida Senate President Jim Boyd, and Florida House Speaker-designate Sam Garrison. His opponents face significant fundraising gaps ahead of the August 18 Primary. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins raised nearly $15,500 in hard money and just $100 to his Quiet Professionals FL political committee during the same week, with less than $3.5 million as of June 26.
Collins has not responded to charges from Gov. Ron DeSantis senior advisors that his wife Layla Collins, who the Governor appointed to the state Board of Education, had burner accounts on X criticizing DeSantis for not boosting his appointed Lieutenant Governor's campaign. The controversy is likely to cast a shadow over both the final stretch of the campaign and the final six months of DeSantis' term.
Collins struggled during a Friday night debate with former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and investment manager James Fishback. He had difficulty answering questions on issues ranging from data centers to whether he voted for DeSantis in 2018, which he could not do because he was not a Florida resident at the time. Collins also needed notes to help with responses and lost his temper at various points during the debate.