Donalds Selects Avila as Running Mate for Florida Governor

Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds selected State Senator Bryan Avila as his running mate on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, formally launching his ticket for the November general election. The announcement was made during a campaign event at the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami.

Donalds, who secured the Republican nomination the previous week, introduced Avila as a proven conservative and dedicated public servant. "Bryan Avila is the son of Cuban exiles who fled communism so their children could live in freedom," Donalds told the crowd. "We didn't inherit political names. We didn't inherit the political birthright, but what we inherited was the responsibility to fight for the state that gave our families everything."

Avila, 42, is a Hialeah native whose parents immigrated from Cuba. He is a former Army National Guard captain and has served in the Florida Legislature since 2014, first in the House and then in the State Senate since 2022. His legislative record includes sponsoring Florida's 2022 Stop WOKE Act, which has been partially struck down by a federal appeals court, and a recent bill placing a property tax cut measure on the November ballot.