Stephen A. Smith Backs Byron Donalds as Florida Frontrunner Holds 49% in GOP Governor Race
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 14
Stephen A. Smith Backs Byron Donalds as Florida Frontrunner Holds 49% in GOP Governor Race
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 14
Summary
Stephen A. Smith said Rep. Byron Donalds “could make me a Republican,” calling the Trump-backed Florida candidate “the real deal” and saying they speak “all the time off the record.”
49% of likely Republican primary voters backed Donalds in an Aug. 6 James Madison Institute poll, putting him 31 points ahead of Lt. Gov. Jay Collins days before Republicans choose a nominee to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.
More than $90 million has been raised by Donalds’ campaign, which says he is building support across demographic groups around affordability and public safety; a campaign official confirmed Smith and Donalds are friends.
Smith’s praise fits his broader shift away from Democrats: in March he urged them to earn Black votes, and days later said he would support Marco Rubio over leading Democratic figures.