Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds has selected Florida State Sen. Bryan Ávila of Hialeah as his running mate, adding a prominent South Florida lawmaker with deep ties to Miami-Dade’s Cuban American community to the GOP ticket.
Donalds announced the decision Tuesday at the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College in downtown Miami, framing the ticket as one built around conservative values, upward mobility and opposition to what Republicans describe as a more left-leaning Democratic agenda.
Donalds, a congressman from Naples who secured the Republican nomination last week, will face Democratic nominee David Jolly and his running mate, Gwen Graham, in the race to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Ávila, the son of Cuban immigrants, grew up in Hialeah and attended Miami Springs High School before continuing his education at Miami Dade College, the University of Miami and Florida International University.
In introducing Ávila, Donalds emphasized the senator’s family history and his parents’ decision to leave Cuba.
“Bryan Ávila is the son of Cuban exiles who fled communism so their children could live in freedom,” Donalds said. “We didn’t inherit political names. We didn’t inherit the political birthright, but what we inherited was the responsibility to fight for the state that gave our families everything.”
The selection offers a glimpse into Donalds’ general-election strategy. By choosing a Cuban American running mate from Miami-Dade and making the announcement in Miami, the campaign is seeking to strengthen its appeal among Hispanic voters and further consolidate Republican gains in South Florida.
Donalds, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, appeared with Ávila and other local leaders in Hialeah in May to launch a “Latinos for Byron” coalition aimed at building support among Hispanic voters.
Ávila has served in the Florida Legislature since 2014 and is also a member of the Florida Army National Guard. He served in the Florida House during part of the same period as Donalds before Donalds was elected to Congress in 2020.
Ávila moved to the Florida Senate in 2022 and has been involved in several high-profile pieces of legislation. Donalds highlighted Ávila’s role in sponsoring a 2022 law restricting certain classroom instruction involving race and gender. Portions of that law have since faced legal challenges in federal court.
Donalds also pointed to Ávila’s work on legislation regulating data centers, an issue that emerged repeatedly during the Republican gubernatorial primary.
Donalds’ primary opponents had criticized him over his perceived ties to interests connected to large data-center developments. By highlighting Ávila’s work on the issue, the campaign appears to be positioning the ticket as supportive of greater state oversight of the rapidly expanding industry.
The Donalds-Ávila ticket will now turn its attention to the November general election, where Miami-Dade and other vote-rich areas of South Florida are expected to play an important role in determining who succeeds DeSantis.
