MAGA champion Rep. Bryon Donalds, a top ally of President Donald Trump in the House, is on a roll as he runs to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis as Florida’s next governor.

With over ten months to go until next year’s election, the three-term Republican representative from a red-leaning district in southwest Florida is sitting on a massive fundraising war chest and is far ahead of his GOP primary rivals in the latest public opinion polling.

But Donalds takes “nothing for granted.”

“I’ve been all over the state, crisscrossing and nonstop. We have a very strong campaign. The people of Florida have been very receptive to my message and the ideas we’re bringing to this campaign,” Donalds highlighted in an interview last week with Fox News Digital at his congressional office in the nation’s capital.

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Donalds was endorsed by Trump in February, before he even formally launched his campaign for governor.

While giving Donalds a big boost, the president’s backing hasn’t prevented other Republicans from entering the GOP primary race.

Former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner launched his bid in September, and late last month investor James Fishback, who had generated some buzz in MAGA world earlier this year before clashing with top Trump advisers, also jumped into the race.

And Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, a former Green Beret and army veteran, has been mulling a run.

But Donalds remains the overwhelming frontrunner.

“People want to run. They want to run. That’s fine, but we’re focused on our race, and that’s contacting voters. I’ve been in 41 counties doing political events. I’ve been in 50 counties, when you consider fundraising and political events,” Donalds highlighted.

Donalds said he is “very honored to have President Trump’s endorsement. Now I have to go county by county, city by city to get the endorsement and the support from the people of our state.”

DeSantis remains mum on the race to succeed him, not backing Donalds or any of the other contenders, which earlier this year also for a time included his wife, first lady Casey DeSantis.

Donalds was once a close ally of the governor, but their relationship soured when Donalds endorsed Trump for president over DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race.

“It’s been better,” Donalds said when asked by Fox News Digital about his relationship with the governor. “But at the end of the day, it’s about the trajectory of our state. Would love to earn Gov. DeSantis support in this campaign, but at the end of the day, we are going to take all of the hard work that he’s done for our state, and it’s been tremendous, we’re going to take that work and we’re going to build upon it, and that’s what matters.”

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Democrats are likely to have a competitive primary between Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and former Rep. David Jolly, a Republican-turned-Democrat. But in battleground-turned-red-state Florida, most of the attention is focused on the Republicans.

Dan Eberhart, a Florida-based oil drilling chief executive officer and a prominent Republican donor who’s raised big bucks for Trump and DeSantis this decade and who is also in Donalds’ political orbit, told Fox News Digital, “Donald’s MAGA credentials and fundraising prowess put him in the driver’s seat” in the GOP primary.

Eberhart noted “Donalds having a primary will make him a better general election candidate,” and emphasized that the congressman “is doing all of the right things to win both the primary and the general election.”

Trump and Republicans spotlighted rising prices as they swept to major victories in 2024, retaking the White House and Senate and holding their majority in the House.

But with inflation remaining persistent, Democrats have been laser focused this year on the issue of affordability, which fueled their decisive victories in last month’s 2025 elections and their overperformances this year in a slew of special elections.

And those contests saw a drop-off in turnout by MAGA voters, with Trump not on the ballot.

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“Are the Democrats motivated? Fine,” Donalds said when asked about the Democrats’ energy. “We are going to make sure that we get Republican voters out to the polls, because at the end of the day, the people of Florida love the trajectory set by Governor DeSantis. We’re going to maintain that trajectory, and we’re going to build it and take Florida to a whole new level.”

And pointing specifically to affordability, Donalds predicted, “over the next year, you’re going to see a lot of these economic changes, decisions made by the President of the United States, have real impacts in the lives of the American people. Positive impacts.”

But the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) argued, “Whether in DC or Tallahassee, Byron Donalds has spent his political career helping to make Florida the least affordable state in the country.”

“From supporting cost-raising tariffs to voting to spike the cost of everything from health care to housing, Byron Donalds is one of the architects of the affordability crisis devastating Florida families,” DGA spokesperson Kevin Donohoe charged in a statement to Fox News Digital.

And pointing to this month’s Miami mayoral election, where the Democrats won for the first time in a quarter-century, Donohoe said “the Miami mayoral race showed that Florida voters are looking for change — but Byron Donalds would just offer more of the same.”

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Asked about the results in Miami, Donalds said, “I do acknowledge what happened in the city of Miami, but that’s not going to happen in the state of Florida.”

“Florida is going to continue to be a red state, because the people of Florida know what conservative policies are they want that to continue. It’s been the best state going in the entire country, and we’re not going to stop here,” he added.

Authorities announced Monday that three inmates, possibly armed and considered dangerous, have escaped from a jail in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.

Officials said the fugitives escaped early Monday morning from the DeKalb County Jail in Decatur, a northeastern suburb of Atlanta. The inmates were reportedly facing felony charges, including murder, arson and armed robbery.

“Authorities say these fugitives may be armed and are considered dangerous,” the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on social media. “The public is urged to exercise extreme caution and should not approach them.”

The inmates were first discovered missing during a routine security check, officials said. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, along with uniformed patrol units, is actively working to locate and apprehend the individuals.

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“We take this breach very seriously and are working diligently to ensure these individuals are safely returned to custody as quickly as possible,” Sheriff Melody M. Maddox said in a statement.

The fugitives have been identified as 24-year-old Stevenson Charles, 31-year-old Yusuf Minor and 25-year-old Naod Yohannes.

According to the U.S. Marshals, Charles is considered “extremely dangerous” and was serving a life sentence at the time of his escape, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. 

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Local authorities said Charles had been charged with murder and armed robbery. He has also been accused of child rape, specifically sodomy on a person less than 10 years old, kidnapping, carjacking, aggravated assault, weapons violations and probation violations, Fox 5 reported, citing U.S. Marshals.

He is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing approximately 200 pounds. According to U.S. Marshals, he has close ties to both Atlanta and Miami, the local station said.

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The Sheriff’s Office added that Minor was charged with two counts of armed robbery and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Yohannes was reportedly charged with simple assault, arson and unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution.

Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Tip Line at 404-298-8200.

Fox News Digital reached out to U.S. Marshals for more information.

Pope Leo XIV has announced a pro-immigration pastor as bishop of Palm Beach, Florida, which is home to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. 

On Friday, Pope Leo named Rev. Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Queens, New York, as the new bishop of Palm Beach, Florida.

Rodríguez, born in the Dominican Republic and ordained a priest in 2004, has been described as a supporter of immigrant rights.

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In an interview with the Associated Press, Rodríguez said, “I never, never, never expected anything even close to this,” and added, “I’m even a little bit scared. But I trust in God’s assistance. One thing I can tell you is that this diocese is a diocese of hard-working priests and hard-working people, and I’m here to help.”

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is located in the Diocese of Palm Beach, and Rodríguez said he wants to “help” Trump when it comes to immigration. 

“The president is doing really good things, not only for the United States, but for the world. But when it comes to the migrant, the immigration policy, we want to help,” Rodriguez told the AP. “We want to assist the president as a church because we believe that we can do better… than the way we’re doing this right now.”

Rodríguez said he believes it isn’t appropriate to enforce immigration policy on minors. 

“When it comes to enforcing immigration laws, we shouldn’t be enforcing them by focusing on deporting 5-year-olds, 12-year-olds, 9-year-old kids, people that have never committed any crime,” Rodriguez said. “So, we’re here to help. We’re willing to help, and God willing, we will.”

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In November, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a “special message” on immigration, which said in part: “Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.”

It added, “We recognize that nations have a responsibility to regulate their borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the sake of the common good. Without such processes, immigrants face the risk of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Safe and legal pathways serve as an antidote to such risks.” 

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