MIAMI — U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds dismissed growing calls from his Republican rivals to join them on the debate stage during a campaign stop in Hialeah, arguing that his commanding position in the governor’s race gives him little reason to boost candidates trailing in the polls.
Donalds, the Republican front-runner seeking to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, used the South Florida appearance to emphasize public safety and housing affordability while also responding to allegations raised in a newly filed civil lawsuit.
“We are defending the Florida dream, and that starts with supporting our men and women in law enforcement,” Donalds said. “People feel safe in Florida.”
Donalds rejects debate pressure
With Florida’s Aug. 18 Republican primary approaching, gubernatorial candidates James Fishback, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner have continued pressing Donalds to debate.
Donalds said his standing in the race makes joining his lower-polling rivals on stage politically unnecessary.
“Where it stands right now, 39 days to go, our poll numbers have us around 50 percent,” Donalds said. “Their poll numbers are in single digits, and they’re grasping at straws, and I’m not going to help them.”
A June poll released by the Associated Industries of Florida Center for Political Strategy found Donalds with 54% support among likely Republican voters. Fishback received 8%, Collins 5% and Renner 2%, while 31% were undecided.
The survey was conducted June 3 through June 7 and included 800 likely 2026 general election voters, with a subset of 386 likely Republican voters. Interviews were conducted by landline, cellphone and text-to-web and were balanced across age, party, gender, race, media market, education, income and 2024 presidential vote recall.
AIF reported an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The organization has endorsed Donalds for governor.
Donalds also holds a substantial fundraising advantage.
Campaign finance reports covering activity through June 1 showed Donalds’ campaign and political committee with a combined $65.8 million in cash on hand, according to publicly reported figures based on state campaign finance filings.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Donalds in the race.
The combination of polling, fundraising and Trump’s endorsement has allowed Donalds to campaign as the clear front-runner while his rivals increasingly seek opportunities to challenge him directly.
Housing affordability takes center stage
Donalds also outlined his approach to lowering housing construction costs, arguing that government permitting delays and regulatory expenses are contributing to the affordability crisis.
“Government has to shrink permitting timelines to push down the cost of construction,” Donalds said.
“Thirty percent of the cost of a new home in America is government permitting costs,” he added. “We need to shrink that down.”
Donalds did not provide a source for the 30% figure during the campaign appearance.
Research from the National Association of Home Builders has separately found that government regulation can represent a significant share of the final price of a new home, although the organization’s analysis includes a broader range of regulatory costs than permitting alone.
Housing affordability has become a major issue in Florida’s 2026 governor’s race as residents continue facing high home prices, insurance expenses and other rising costs associated with homeownership.
Donalds has made affordability and reducing regulatory barriers part of his campaign message as he seeks the Republican nomination.
Donalds calls lawsuit “frivolous” and “baseless”
The congressman also responded to a civil lawsuit filed by Collier County School Board member Kelly Mason over an alleged 2022 confrontation at a Naples grocery store.
The lawsuit alleges Donalds threatened and intimidated Mason during a dispute connected to earlier litigation involving Mason and Donalds’ wife, Erika Donalds.
Mason alleges Donalds threatened to “crush” or “finish” her during the encounter.
The allegations are civil claims and have not been proven in court.
Donalds rejected the lawsuit during the Hialeah campaign stop.
“It’s frivolous, it’s baseless,” Donalds said.
His campaign has separately described the lawsuit as a politically motivated attack intended to damage his candidacy during the 2026 election.
Video of the grocery store confrontation shows a heated verbal exchange between Donalds and Mason but does not capture the alleged threats described in the lawsuit.
The legal dispute has become another point of contention in an increasingly combative Republican primary.
Supporters rally behind Donalds in Hialeah
Among those attending the campaign event was Miriam Campos, who praised Donalds and said she supports his political message.
“He has very good ideas, and he’s proven he’s a good person,” Campos said.
Campos said her support is also rooted in concerns about personal and religious freedom.
She said she wants “to live in a free country that nobody wants to interfere with my religion or the way I speak or the way I think.”
With the Aug. 18 primary approaching, Donalds appears determined to continue campaigning as the race’s front-runner rather than give his rivals the direct confrontation they are seeking.
For Fishback, Collins and Renner, the pressure campaign over debates is unlikely to end.
But Donalds’ response in Hialeah made his strategy clear: as long as he maintains a commanding lead, he sees little political benefit in helping his opponents close the gap.
Sources
- Local 10 — Hialeah campaign stop reporting
- Associated Industries of Florida — June poll and methodology
- Florida Division of Elections — Friends of Byron Donalds PAC record
- WUSF — Donalds fundraising and cash-on-hand reporting
- WPTV — Kelly Mason civil lawsuit and Donalds campaign response
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- Florida Elections 2026: Candidates, Races, Ballot Measures & Election News
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The post Byron Donalds Dismisses Debate Calls, Pushes Housing Plan at Hialeah Campaign Stop appeared first on The Florida Pundit.
