Opinion: Republicans Criticized a Democratic Coronation. Florida Shouldn't Stage One of Its Own.

By the Tidings Media Editorial Board

The GOP faithful will consider this editorial anti-Byron Donalds.  It's not.  Our own Tidings Media editorial board is split on their support for governor.  This is not a smear piece.  It's just open information, in the sunlight, that the GOP is preferring not to talk about so they can proceed with their coronation.  Is the candidate they are pushing flawed?  You decide, but you deserve a good look at what's happening behind the scenes, and the power at play to give you a single choice when there is a field of candidates for you to choose from, not just one.  

When Democratic Party leaders quickly rallied behind Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign, Republicans cried foul. They argued that Democratic voters had been denied the opportunity to choose their nominee through a vigorous primary campaign. Conservatives said the process mattered just as much as the outcome.

They were right.

That is why the Republican Party of Florida should be careful not to repeat the same mistake.

This weekend's Republican Party of Florida convention left the unmistakable impression that much of the party establishment has already chosen its candidate for governor. Governor Ron DeSantis publicly criticized debate qualification rules that effectively left Congressman Byron Donalds as the only candidate eligible to participate, arguing the process appeared designed to produce a predetermined outcome rather than an open contest.

Whether that was the intent or not, perception matters.

Political parties are at their strongest when nominees emerge from competition, not consensus among consultants, donors, lobbyists, and party officials.

The timing could not be worse.

Democrats are already consolidating behind former Congressman David Jolly, who has emerged as the clear frontrunner for his party's nomination. Whoever becomes the Republican nominee will face a disciplined, well-funded opponent with months to define the race.

That alone should be reason enough for Republicans to demand a thorough vetting of every candidate.

Byron Donalds has become one of the nation's most recognizable conservative voices and has earned the support of many Republican leaders, including President Donald Trump. None of that should exempt him from scrutiny.

In fact, it makes scrutiny more important.

Donalds has publicly acknowledged selling small amounts of marijuana as a teenager before his 1997 arrest. He has also discussed a later fraud-related case, characterizing both as youthful mistakes that occurred before his conversion to Christianity, marriage, business career, and public service. Separately, Byron Donalds' first wife, Bisa Hall, has publicly alleged that his relationship with his current wife, Erika Donalds, began while his first marriage was still intact. Donalds has built his public life around a story of faith, redemption, and second chances.

Republicans believe in redemption. So do we.

But redemption and electability are not the same question.

The issue before Republican primary voters is not whether Byron Donalds has turned his life around. It is whether he is the candidate best positioned to win a statewide general election and build upon Governor Ron DeSantis' conservative legacy. Democrats will not spend the fall campaign talking about redemption. They will spend millions of dollars reminding voters of Donalds' past and forcing him to defend it again and again.  Discernment will become the central talking point. Republican voters deserve the opportunity to weigh those political realities in an open, competitive primary before party insiders effectively declare the race over.

But Democrats are not going to run on redemption.

Every one of those incidents will appear in campaign advertisements. Every interview will revisit them. Every opposition researcher already has the file assembled.  You can imagine the political ads and their content.

Republican primary voters deserve the opportunity to decide whether Donalds is the strongest candidate to withstand those attacks before Democrats begin making the case against him.  Meanwhile, the GOP is giving you a primary ballot that looks like this :

That's a fake ballot, but based on the convention this weekend that is what the GOP would love you to see during the primary election on August 18th.  Never mind the fact that the primary is a closed primary, so conservatives that are registered independents cannot vote for any Republican candidate.  Voter registration cards just arrived in the mail last week, so check it to see if you are registered for your party of choice.  The last day to register or change your registration in Florida is July 20, 2026 if you want to participate in the August 18th primary election.  You can check or change your registration here :  https://www.myfloridaelections.com/register-to-vote

There are other questions worthy of discussion as well. Donalds was once a registered Democrat before joining the Republican Party during the Tea Party movement. Many voters will view that evolution as evidence of conviction. Others may not. Again, those are questions for Republican voters to evaluate during a competitive primary.

Recent polling also suggests this race is anything but settled. One statewide survey found David Jolly and Byron Donalds tied at 41 percent. Another found Donalds leading by only five percentage points, 44 percent to 39 percent, with a substantial number of undecided voters still on the sidelines. Those numbers do not describe an inevitable nominee. They describe a competitive race that deserves a competitive primary.

At Tidings Media, we've spent the past several weeks talking with conservatives across Florida who are not part of the Tallahassee political establishment. In our own informal, non-scientific conversations, we have yet to encounter support for the idea that Republican voters should simply accept an anointed nominee. We make no claim that these conversations represent Republican voters statewide. They do suggest that many grassroots conservatives are looking for something the establishment seems reluctant to provide: a genuine choice.

If Byron Donalds is the strongest Republican candidate, an open primary will prove it.

If another candidate can make a stronger case, Republican voters deserve the opportunity to hear it.

That is not disloyalty.

That is democracy.

Republicans were correct to criticize Democrats for allowing party insiders to steer the nomination process.

They should be equally committed to that principle when the nomination belongs to their own party.

Tidings Media Editorial Position

Tidings Media will not endorse a candidate in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

That decision is not an endorsement of another candidate, nor is it a criticism of Congressman Donalds personally. It reflects our belief that Florida Republicans have not yet been given the open, competitive process they deserve. Until Republican voters have had a full opportunity to hear competing visions for the future of Florida, we do not believe there is a clear people's choice.

Political parties should trust their voters.

Florida Republicans deserve a real primary, not the appearance of a coronation.

Sources

1. Miami Herald. "DeSantis skips GOP convention after criticizing debate rules favoring Byron Donalds." June 2026.
2. Emerson College Polling, March 29-31, 2026, and MDW Communications statewide polling on the 2026 Florida governor's race.
3. CBS News Miami reporting on Byron Donalds' publicly acknowledged 1997 marijuana arrest and subsequent public statements regarding his past.

Subscribe Free

Tidings Media isn't owned by a political party, a lobbying group, or a corporate media conglomerate. We ask uncomfortable questions regardless of who holds power.  We don't accept political advertising or pay for play articles.  

Subscribe free at tidings.town.news for unfiltered Florida political coverage, original reporting, election analysis, and editorials you won't find in establishment media. Whether it upsets Republicans, Democrats, or government bureaucrats, our commitment is the same: tell readers what others won't.