Cam already talked about how Gun Owners of America is backing Byron Donalds for governor down in Florida, and the reaction of some people to the news. It seems that this was a bit of a controversial decision by GOA, and a lot of people had big feelings about it. Some had gripes that I understood perfectly, while others...let's just say they didn't.
But, GOA didn't just pick Donalds out of a hat. There's a reason why they backed that particular horse, and we need to talk about why that is.
As @GunOwners Florida Director, the choice was simple.
— Luis Valdes (@RealFLGunLobby) June 11, 2026
In 2018, I was the only FL cop who fought against the Parkland gun control bill. @ByronDonalds is the only former state lawmaker in this race who voted against it.
He earned this endorsement through action, not just words. https://t.co/rL3UqOpkAk pic.twitter.com/AjF55hm244
That's an impressive list of credentials, and while Lt. Governor Jay Collins can't say as much about the post-Parkland legislation, it should be noted that he wasn't in office at the time and couldn't have voted against it. James Fishback, who a number of people on X seemed to like, has no record at all to run on, which means we don't really know what he would do in office.
Paul Renner, on the other hand, was in a position to vote against that bill. He was in the Florida House at the time and cast a vote on the measure, voting for it. It's just that simple.
Donalds has a strong pro-gun voting record, more so than most of his opponents.
He also has a polling edge against either of his likely opponents in the general election. Like it or not, it's not really a great concept to vote for a candidate who simply cannot win. As it stands, only Collins has an actual pro-gun record worthy of comparison to Donalds'--and besides apparently being the primary sponsor of the state's permitless concealed carry law, I'm not terribly impressed--and he's polling in the single digits in the primary, as things stand. Fishback is the closest challenger, and he's also likely to get trounced, but since he also doesn't have a record at all, there may be reasons to dismiss him as an option right there.
The fact that he's also a groyper cannot be ignored, either. If that's not an issue for you, well, so be it, but it's an issue for me and a whole lot of other people.
So GOA is backing a horse with a strong pro-Second Amendment record and who actually has a shot at winning, rather than someone who was never going to be more than an also-ran. Even without the aspect of actually leading in the polls, based on track records, I honestly don't see a better option for GOA's endorsement.
You're welcome to disagree, but I'm going to maintain that I think you're wrong. I'm not going to think you're a bad person over it--unless you're backing Fishback because of his groyper status, then I will--but you'll be just as wrong.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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