Who Is Byron Donalds? The Latest Republican Nominee For House Speaker

Byron Lowell Donalds is an American politician and businessman serving as the us consultant for Florida’s nineteenth congressional district since 2021. His district serves most of the heart of Southwest Florida, including Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Estero, and Naples. Republican Kevin McCarthy’s bid to turn into House speaker and replace outgoing Democratic speaker Nancy Pelosi failed in a fourth ballot.

These 20 Republicans voted in opposition to his candidacy, and all however two McCarthy defectors in House are election deniers. On January three, 2023, Donalds obtained one vote within the election for Speaker of House, from Chip Roy. Donalds voted for Kevin McCarthy on the first two ballots, and switched his vote to Jim Jordan on the third ballot.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott appointed Donalds to the board of trustees of a state school, which helped enhance his profile within the state’s Republican Party. Roy referred to civil rights chief the Rev.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech whereas nominating Donalds. And he spoke of Donalds’s journey from rising up in Brooklyn as a Democrat to being one of the few Black Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Adolescence And Education

House of Representatives in Florida’s 19th congressional district. In 2014, Donalds was reported as a likely candidate for the U.S. House in Florida’s nineteenth congressional district after the resignation of Trey Radel, but decided against running. Donalds, who voted for McCarthy on the first two ballots Tuesday, in the end acquired 20 votes on Wednesday’s fourth, fifth and sixth ballots, once more blocking McCarthy’s attempt at turning into House speaker.

Mr. Donalds, 44, worked in finance earlier than being elected to the Florida House in 2016 and then to the united states He ran for Congress as a conservative ally of then-President Donald J. Trump, and was one of 147 Republicans who voted to reject the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election.

He was unsuccessful but was ultimately elected to the Florida legislature four years later. Opponents of GOP chief Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) bid to turn out to be speaker rallied to Donalds’s candidacy with a standing ovation after Roy famous the historic nature of the nomination.

Democrats have nominated lawmaker Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), who is on track to become the primary Black individual to lead a celebration in Congress. Born and raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Donalds attended Florida A&M University and earned a Bachelor of Science diploma in finance and advertising from Florida State University in 2002. A Republican, he was a member of the Tea Party motion and unsuccessfully ran for the us

Byron Donalds

He additionally enjoys volunteering as a coach in youth soccer and basketball leagues. Representative Byron Donalds of Florida has turn into the most recent rallying determine for Republicans opposed to Kevin McCarthy’s speaker bid.

Donalds previously expressed his pleasure in regards to the record-breaking variety of Black Republicans who ran for Congress in the 2022 midterm elections. The Florida State University graduate eventually launched a career in business before getting involved in state politics.

The longest House speaker vote took two months and 133 votes, here’s how the speaker of the House is elected. After McCarthy didn’t secure the mandatory GOP votes, this may be a record of other attainable House speaker candidates.

Donalds went on to hunt a congressional seat for the primary time in 2012, two years after turning into a Republican and getting concerned within the tea celebration motion.

Legislative Service

A conservative fighter for Florida’s 19th district. “Florida Sen. Rick Scott votes yes on objection to Biden’s presidency; Rubio votes no”. In June 2021, Donalds was certainly one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the AUMF against Iraq.

In nominating him firstly of the fourth vote on Wednesday, Representative Chip Roy of Texas noted that Mr. Donalds is Black and that this was the first time two Black candidates had been nominated for speaker. The Democratic nominee, Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, grew to become the first Black chief of any party’s House caucus on Tuesday. Byron Donalds is a conservative champion for Southwest Florida.