ESPN host Stephen A. Smith stated on Thursday that Florida Representative Byron Donalds could potentially influence him to become a Republican, offering strong praise for the Trump-backed gubernatorial frontrunner days before Florida Republicans select their nominee to succeed Governor Ron DeSantis.
"And I ain’t no d— Republican. But that mean if anybody could make me one, it would be him. I’m just going to keep it a buck. I’m just letting you know," Smith said. He described Donalds as "the real deal" and noted his aptitude for debating political opponents, stating, "He ain’t backing up. He knows his stuff. OK? I talk to him all the time. All the time. And I ain’t got nothing bad to say about him."
A Donalds campaign official confirmed that Smith and Donalds are friends. The campaign's communications director, Gates McGavick, said Donalds is attracting voters across various demographic groups by emphasizing affordability and public safety. McGavick added that Donalds has a "clear vision to make Florida more affordable, keep Floridians safe and make sure the radical left stays out of the Sunshine State," and is building a coalition that prioritizes "common sense over crazy."
One Republican source familiar with the race noted President Donald Trump's endorsement of Donalds and expressed confidence in his primary victory. A poll released on August 6 by the James Madison Institute showed Donalds leading likely Republican primary voters with 49%, 31 points ahead of Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins.
Donalds' campaign has reportedly raised over $90 million, competing against candidates including Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and investor James Fishback. Governor DeSantis has not endorsed any candidate in the primary.
Smith also addressed concerns about skepticism among Black voters regarding Donalds' close alignment with former President Trump. Smith, who described himself as having grown skeptical of Democrats, stated he is attempting to remain fair-minded.
"You heard me ask that question [What have Democrats done for you?]. I ain’t apologizing for it. I’m very skeptical about them," Smith said. "Make no mistake about it. I mean, I’ve lost interest in them in a lot of different ways. I’ll be the first to admit it right here on the public airwaves, but I also am trying to be fair-minded when I think about this."
This sentiment follows Smith's increasing openness to Republican candidates. In March, he challenged Democrats to earn Black votes rather than assume their support. He also told Sean Hannity that he would support Secretary of State Marco Rubio over prominent Democrats like California Governor Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Donalds responded to Smith's observations about voter skepticism by urging people to evaluate politicians based on their policies and results, rather than personal comfort or social media discourse. "It’s something that I acknowledge. I would challenge Black people in America. First of all, this ain’t even about trust. It’s about verification," Donalds stated. He added, "We’ve had people on both sides of the aisle promise Black people everything until the cows come home. But it’s really about, ‘Are you going to verify the promises and verify what the policies actually do, or are you just going to trust it because you have comfort level with a certain politician.'"
Governor DeSantis, who was re-elected in 2022, is ineligible to run for a third term. Florida has transitioned from a swing state to one dominated by Republicans at both the state and national levels over the past decade.