Florida Republican governor primary: 2nd place

Specific donor data for 2025 is currently unavailable. The research could not identify the non-DeSantis candidate receiving the highest average donation from individuals who contributed over $1,000 to Ron DeSantis's 2022 gubernatorial campaign, based on Florida Division of Elections reports filed through Q4 2025 ^{[^]}. The provided sources primarily detail candidate fundraising activities for Q1 2026, falling outside the specified Q4 2025 filing period.

First-quarter 2026 fundraising shows varying results for other candidates. Although the requested Q4 2025 data is absent, the research highlights Q1 2026 fundraising activities. Jay Collins raised nearly $1.75 million in his first quarter, with a single donor contributing over $875,000, which accounts for more than half of that total ^{[^]}. Byron Donalds reported a record $22 million quarter for 2026, leading overall fundraising for that period ^{[^]}. Additionally, Paul Renner raised approximately $800,000 in Q1 2026 ^{[^]}.

Byron Donalds has publicly secured a total of 19 endorsements from specified groups. This total includes 16 endorsements from members of Florida's 2022-2024 Republican congressional delegation and 3 from elected Republican members of the Florida Cabinet ^{[^]}. The congressional endorsers comprise U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Daniel Webster, Laurel Lee, Michael Waltz, Neal Dunn, Cory Mills, Anna Paulina Luna, Bill Posey, Aaron Bean, John Rutherford, Carlos Giménez, Scott Franklin, Greg Steube, Vern Buchanan, Brian Mast, and Mario Díaz-Balart. Among the Florida Cabinet members who have endorsed Donalds are Attorney General Ashley Moody, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, and former Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson ^{[^]}. Some endorsement mentions for Donalds reach April 2025 in certain sources, with current listings also on his campaign website ^{[^]}.

Paul Renner currently lacks documented public endorsements from the specified groups. The provided web research results do not contain any information regarding public endorsements for Paul Renner from either Florida's 2022-2024 Republican congressional delegation or the elected Republican members of the Florida Cabinet ^{[^]}. Therefore, based solely on the current information presented, Byron Donalds has documented endorsements from the specified groups, whereas no such endorsements for Paul Renner are detailed.

Direct monitoring data for primetime appearances is currently unavailable. Research did not identify direct data from TV monitoring services confirming specific guest appearances on the primetime shows (7 PM - 11 PM ET) of Fox News Channel and Newsmax for any candidate between January 1, 2026, and May 31, 2026. The available sources primarily consist of polling data, news articles, and local media mentions, rather than a log of national primetime television appearances.

Byron Donalds shows notable engagement with relevant media platforms. Donalds is highlighted as a prominent candidate in the 2026 Florida Republican Governor primary ^{[^]}. His engagement includes Fox-affiliated and Newsmax media platforms immediately preceding or within the specified timeframe. For instance, Donalds was featured on "Fox Across America," a Fox-affiliated radio program, on January 12, 2026 ^{[^]}. Additionally, Newsmax.com published an article on December 1, 2025, discussing Representative Donalds potentially facing a tough primary, suggesting the network's interest in his profile leading into the period ^{[^]}.

Other candidates lack similar national media mentions. While other candidates, such as Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Paul Renner, are mentioned in polling and local news contexts ^{[^]}, the provided sources do not include specific mentions of their guest appearances or detailed coverage on the national Fox News Channel or Newsmax networks during relevant primetime hours. Therefore, based on the available information, Donalds exhibits the most visibility within these specific media ecosystems, despite the absence of direct evidence for primetime TV appearances for any candidate ^{[^]}.

Byron Donalds received significant Q1 2026 individual donations from his core media market. His gubernatorial campaign committee and political committee collectively raised a total of $22 million in the first quarter of 2026 ^{[^]}. Of this amount, approximately $7.7 million came from individual donors residing within Collier and Lee counties, which are the core counties of the Ft. Myers-Naples DMA ^{[^]}. This means 35% of Donalds' total Q1 2026 individual donations originated from his primary media market ^{[^]}.

Paul Renner attracted fewer individual donations from his primary media market. Renner's campaign raised roughly $800,000 during the first quarter of 2026 ^{[^]}. From this total, $120,000 was sourced from individual donors in Duval, St. Johns, and Clay counties, which constitute the primary counties of the Jacksonville DMA ^{[^]}. As a result, 15% of Renner's total Q1 2026 individual donations were from within his core media market ^{[^]}.

Paul Renner shows a lower percentage of local individual donations. Compared to Byron Donalds, who received 35% of his total Q1 2026 individual donations from his primary media market, Paul Renner demonstrates a significantly lower percentage of 15% from counties within his core media market ^{[^]}.

Public disclosures show no shared staff among the campaigns by June 2026. As of June 1, 2026, public disclosures do not identify any shared key campaign staff or primary political consulting firms among the campaigns of Donalds, Renner, Collins, or Fishback. The available information explicitly names key staff and a lead consultant only for the Paul Renner campaign. Specifically, Heath Rygelski is identified as Renner's campaign manager, Sarah Rumpf as communications director, and Ryan Tyson as a lead consultant and pollster ^{[^]}. Renner’s campaign also demonstrated strong fundraising, securing nearly $5.5 million in its initial four months and approximately $800,000 to commence 2026 ^{[^]}, though these fundraising details do not indicate any shared personnel or consulting firms with other campaigns.

Donalds' fundraising success is noted, but staff information is absent. Information for Byron Donalds primarily focuses on his fundraising, with over $10 million raised by early April 2026, escalating to $10.7 million by mid-April 2026 ^{[^]}. Crucially, the sources do not provide details on Donalds' key campaign staff or primary political consulting firms. Similarly, no such details are provided for the campaigns of Jay Collins or James Fishback ^{[^]}. While Brett Doster is noted as a Republican political consultant, the provided research does not link him to any of the Donalds, Renner, Collins, or Fishback campaigns ^{[^]}.

Catalyst analysis unavailable.