FLORIDA — Republican Congressman Byron Donalds is running for governor of Florida.

He made the announcement Tuesday tonight on Fox News and is the first Republican candidate to officially enter the 2026 race.

"Now is the time to keep the best state in the country as the best state in the country," Donalds said in a post on X, accompanied by a portion of his Fox News interview.

President Donald Trump has already expressed support for Donalds to be Florida's next governor.

“Byron Donalds would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida and, should he decide to run, will have my Complete and Total Endorsement,” the president posted earlier this month on his social media site. “RUN, BYRON, RUN!”

Meantime, current Gov. Ron DeSantis took a shot at Donalds earlier this week.

“A guy like Byron, he just hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we’ve had here over the left over these last years,” DeSantis said Monday.

Other names rumored to run have included Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis and former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried responded with a statement, saying in part:

"Byron Donalds is a dangerous political opportunist who should be nowhere near the governor's mansion," she said. "He only has a shot at the nomination because Trump endorsed him, and Trump is only endorsing him because he wants a puppet in the governor's mansion"

The 46-year-old Donalds, who lives in Naples in southwest Florida, was born and raised in Brooklyn. He graduated from Florida State University.

He was working as a financial adviser when then-Gov. Rick Scott appointed him to the board of trustees at a state college, cementing his rise in the state GOP.

He entered the Florida House in 2016, won a seat in the U.S. House in 2020 and has been on the short list for multiple opportunities ever since, including being nominated in January 2023 by the far-right wing of as a candidate for House speaker.

One of the state’s most high-profile Black Republicans, Donalds would become the first African American to serve as governor if he wins.

Donalds and his wife, Erika Donalds, built a reputation for working to transform public education and direct more taxpayer dollars into private and charter schools. A former county school board member, she runs a company that oversees charter schools and a virtual academy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.