Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds has been campaigning across Florida in an effort to become the state’s first African-American governor. He spoke at an event at the Bay of Pigs Museum & Library in Miami on Friday and at a town hall in Tallahassee, according to the report.
Donalds, a Brooklyn, New York native who has represented Florida’s 19th congressional district for six years, also spoke at Florida A&M University, not Florida State University, where he earned his degree. When an attendee asked whether he graduated from FAMU, Donalds said he was a student there for three years.
His campaign and a political action committee with ties to President Donald Trump have a combined war chest of $146 million, far more than his rivals. Donalds said donors support him because they do business in Florida and want the state to remain business-friendly.
He also defended school choice, saying the money follows the child. He said his wife managed other charter schools in the past but no longer does, and that those operations were turned over to the founders. He said that does not create a conflict of interest.
Democratic opponent David Jolly said Donalds’ agenda is anti-Black. Donalds called that claim “the craziest thing” he has heard and accused Jolly of avoiding a debate. Jolly declined to debate. Donalds said polling looks favorable and that he will keep working to earn votes before the Nov. 3 election.
Jolly’s campaign agreed to an in-person interview with 7News, while Donalds’ campaign offered only a virtual interview.
