TALLAHASSEE --- Former state House Speaker Paul Renner on Wednesday launched a 2026 campaign for governor, becoming the first high-profile candidate to take on Congressman Byron Donalds — who has the backing of President Donald Trump — in the Republican primary.
Renner, who left the House in November after two years as speaker, issued a statement that drew links with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who cannot run again because of term limits.
“As a legislator and speaker of the House, I stood with Ron DeSantis to brand our state the Free State of Florida,” Renner, an attorney and U.S. Navy veteran, said in the statement. “I’m running for governor so that when the DeSantis era comes to an end, we can defend our victories and solve the challenges that remain.”
Renner also vowed to ensure that Florida remains a “leading partner for President Donald Trump in his efforts to Make America Great Again.”
“I helped deliver the legislative victories that make Florida what it is today and you can count on me to take on the left and special interests that aim to push their radical agenda,” Renner said.
DeSantis, during an appearance Wednesday in Valrico, said he isn’t supporting Renner’s candidacy.
“I'm not supporting Paul Renner, you know, I think it was an ill-advised decision to enter,” DeSantis said.
Donalds’ campaign responded to Renner’s announcement by pointing to the Trump endorsement.
“Byron Donalds will be Florida’s next governor because he is the proven conservative fighter endorsed by President Trump,” Ryan Smith, Donalds’ chief strategist, said in a statement.
Donalds has already lined up endorsements from most of Florida's Republican congressional delegation, and his political committee, Friends of Bryon Donalds, had raised nearly $20.5 million as of June 30. Donalds had raised another $1.81 million for his campaign account.
Questions have swirled about whether newly appointed Lt. Gov. Jay Collins or Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis would run for governor. Ron DeSantis appointed Collins as lieutenant governor last month.
Last week on the Sean Hannity radio show, Collins said he continued to “assess” a gubernatorial bid but said he is “really hyper-focused on my job as lieutenant governor right now.”
Renner spent 20 years in the Navy, deployed during Operation Desert Storm and in Afghanistan and later served as a state prosecutor before entering private practice.
In the House, he represented areas of Flagler and St. Johns counties from 2015 to 2024.
During the 2024 legislative session, Renner made a priority of passing a law that seeks to prevent children under age 16 from opening social-media accounts on certain platforms --- though it would allow parents to give consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts. Children under 14 could not open accounts. Renner argued that certain platforms are addictive and harm children’s mental health.
A district judge blocked the law on First Amendment grounds, and an appeal is pending.
Renner also played a key role on issues such as expanding school vouchers.
Former Congressman David Jolly is the only high-profile Democrat who has formally entered the gubernatorial race.
