Who Is Byron Donalds? New Republican Nominee For House Speaker

The group of House Republicans who haven’t backed Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) bid for Speaker switched their votes to Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.), a second-term congressman who is one of only two Black Republicans in the chamber.

In the fourth round of voting for Speaker, none of the candidates got a majority, so all 20 GOP members voted for Donalds.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) got 212 votes from Democrats, and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) got 201 votes from Republicans. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Indiana), who had voted for McCarthy before, chose “present” on the fourth vote.

Who Is Byron Donalds?

Donalds, who is 44 years old and used to run a business and be a state representative in Florida, is seen as a rising star in the party. He is a strong conservative who has spoken out about his opposition to abortion and support for gun rights. Even though he was thought to be a supporter of former President Trump, his loyalty has been questioned since the midterm elections of 2022.

Who Is Byron Donalds
Who Is Byron Donalds

In November, he ran against Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) for the fourth-highest leadership position, conference chair, but lost in a vote behind closed doors.

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Donalds v/s Stefanik

The race between Donalds and Stefanik showed a growing divide in the Republican Party. Stefanik, a strong supporter of Trump, backed the former president before he ran for president again in 2024. Trump has not.

From 2020, when he won his nine-way Republican primary by just over 700 votes, to being considered for Speaker is a quick rise.

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Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said in his speech nominating Donalds for Speaker that he would “stand up” to the Washington establishment.

Roy said, “We do not seek to judge people by the color of their skin, but rather the content of their character,” “Byron Donalds is a good man. He was raised by a single mother, got over his differences, became a Christian at age 21, and has spent his whole life helping his family and this country. And he did it in a great way.”

Donalds voted for McCarthy in the first two rounds of voting on Tuesday, but he switched his vote to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in the third round, just before Republicans left the chamber for the day. So far, Jordan has only voted for McCarthy.

Stay tuned to our website NogMagazine.com for more updates.