With Florida’s primary election underway, President Donald Trump has weighed in on several races across his home state, issuing public endorsements through Truth Social ahead of Election Day.
Those endorsements include one for a race that includes a familiar landmark for the commander-in-chief: The Republican primary for Florida House District 87 — a stretch of coastal Palm Beach County that includes Trump's private club Mar-a-Lago.
Republicans Jon Maples and Jonathan Rubin are competing for the Aug. 18 nomination to challenge Democratic state Rep. Emily Gregory, who flipped the Republican-held seat in a March special election.
That race drew attention because Gregory's victory gave Democrats control of a district Republicans had held since it
was redrawn in 2022 and left Trump represented in the Florida House by a member of the opposing party.
With early voting in full swing and Election Day coming up, here’s what Florida voters should know about the candidates Trump has backed.
First, however, note that Florida is a closed primary state, meaning only voters registered with a political party are eligible to vote in a party's primary election races.
All registered voters, despite party affiliation, may vote in non-partisan races and universal primary contests where all candidates are from the same party.
Most Florida residents who are eligible to vote have likely received a sample ballot in the mail to help them prepare for their choices at the polls. This roundup includes info about candidates that have been endorsed publicly by President Trump.
Trump, the 45th and 47th U.S. president, has used his social media platform Truth Social for these endorsements for 2026 primary election day.
When is early voting for primary election 2026 in Florida?
For the Primary Election races, early voting began at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, and runs through 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, 2026.
When is Primary Election Day 2026 in Florida?
The Primary Election Day is Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026.
When are polls open on Primary Election Day 2026 in Florida?
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, for Primary Election Day.
Why aren't some Florida 2026 races or candidates listed?
The party candidates for State Attorney General, most state senators, representatives, and circuit judges, the State Supreme Court position, several U.S. representatives, and many local races are running unopposed this year and will not appear on primary ballots. You'll be able to vote for these races in the general election.
Who did Trump endorse in Florida for August 2026 primary elections?
The list below includes Republican candidates for the Aug. 18, 2026, primary election races in Florida that have been publicly endorsed by Trump.
- Florida governor: Trump endorsed Byron Donalds. Jay Collins, James Fishback, Jim Holcomb, Arthur Joseph McCaffrey, Daniel Nokovich, Paul Renner, Rachel Rodriguez, James W. Shaw, Caneste Succe and Bobby Williams also are on the ballot.
- U.S. Senate: Trump endorsed Ashley Moody. Chris Gleason, Neelam Taneja Perry and Ernest "Ernie" Rivera also are on the ballot.
- Florida attorney general: Trump endorsed Attorney General James Uthmeier, who has never been elected and whose primary opponent dropped out of the race. Uthmeier will face Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez in November 2026.
- Florida agriculture commissioner: Trump endorsed Wilton Simpson. Matt Taylor, known as "Matt the Welder," also is on the ballot as are Democrats Joey Mendoza Atkins and Donald A. "Don" Prichard.
- Congressional District 1: Trump endorsed Jimmy Patronis. Doug Chico and John Frankman also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 3: Trump endorsed Kat Cammack. Democrats Troy Albers, Seth Harp, George Hubac and Tom Wells and Mike Klein (no party affiliation) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 4: Trump endorsed Aaron Bean. Democrats LaShonda "L.J." Holloway, Michael Kirwan and Brit Robinson and Todd Schaefer (no party affiliation) and Mike Sell (Florida Forward Party) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 5: Trump endorsed John Rutherford. Republican Mark Kaye and Democrats Rachel Grage, Alex Hazen and Mark Heggestad, and William Lintag Upham (write-in) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 6: Trump endorsed Randy Fine. Republicans Manuel P. Asensio, Aaron Baker, Dan Bilzerian and Charles Gambaro, Democrats Robert David Cooper II, Steve Morgan, Michael Gist, Ronnie "Ron" Murchinson-Rivera and Eric Yonce, Andrew Parrott (LPF), and Alec Pavlik (write-in) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 8: Trump endorsed Mike Haridopolos. Haridopolos will face Democratic challenger Jennifer Jenkins in November 2026.
- Congressional District 12: Trump endorsed Gus Bilirakis. Democrats Darren McAuley and Kimberly Overman and Branden Scrivener (no party affiliation) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 13: Trump endorsed Anna Paulina Luna. Democrats Leela Gray, John William Liccione and Brandt Robinson and Tony D'Arrigo (no party affiliation) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 15: Trump endorsed Laurel Lee. Democrats Christopher Irizarry and Robert People and Angie Boone (write-in) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 16: Trump endorsed Sydney Gruters. Republicans Ed Pope and Eddie Speir, Democrats Jon Harris, Kelly Kirschner, Tamika Lyles, Glenn Pearson and Jan Schneider, and Mark Davis (no party affiliation) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 17: Trump endorsed Greg Steube. Democrats Matthew Montavon and Allen L. Spence Jr. and Michael J. Quirk (no party affiliation) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 18: Trump endorsed Scott Franklin. Democrat Curtis Gibson and Deva Simmons (no party affiliation) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 19: Trump endorsed Catalina Lauf. Republicans Greg "Tex" Bukowski, Madison Cawthorn, Chris Collins, Ola Hawatmeh, Jim Oberweis, Mike Pedersen, Linda J. Sawyer, Jim Schwartzel, John Strand, and Democrats Victor Arias, Robert M. Neeld and Howard Sapp, Alexandra Zakhvatayev (write-in), and Seth Haskin (no party affiliation) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 21: Trump endorsed Brian Mast. Democrats James T. Martin and Bernard Taylor, Alexander Cooke (no party affiliation) and David Fabrikant (write-in) also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 26: Trump endorsed Mario Diaz-Balart. Diaz-Balart will face Democrat Nicole Locklin and Deborah Meidinger Hosey (no party affiliation) in November 2026.
- Congressional District 27: Trump endorsed Maria Elvira Salazar. Republican V. Michael Arias and Democrats Robin Peguero and Eliott Rodriguez also are on the ballot.
- Congressional District 28: Trump endorsed Carlos Gimenez. Gimenez will face Democrat Phil Ehr and Eddy Rojas (no party affiliation) in November 2026.
- Florida House District 87: Trump endorsed Jon Maples. Republican Jonathan Rubin also is on the ballot.
- Florida House District 94: Trump endorsed Meg Weinberger. Weinberger will face Democrat Elizabeth Holmes and Doug Barrow (no party affiliation) in November 2026.
Contributing: C.A. Bridges, USA TODAY Network, and Jodi Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Primary Election Trump endorsements, including race in Mar-a-Lago's backyard
