Byron Donalds Responds to Bill Maher's Claims on GOP Primary and Racism

<p>Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds rejected comedian Bill Maher’s claims that he lost key counties in the recent primary partly due to racism within the state. Appearing on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" on August 25, 2026, Donalds, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, pushed back on Maher's assertion that he lost parts of Florida's Panhandle because of the area's predominantly White electorate.</p><p>"You did lose the ‘Redneck Riviera’ badly," Maher said, referring to Donalds’ losses in Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hardee, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, and Washington counties — rural counties where roughly 94% of Republican voters are White.</p><p>Maher continued, "I can’t get with you on a lot of this policy stuff. But I think it would be great if the country did have [its] first Black, Republican governor." He praised Donalds for his willingness to run in "this post-racial world" where constituents don’t care about the "color of their skin," but added that "we’re not quite there yet though."</p><p>"The Redneck Riviera, which is the Panhandle," Maher began. "I think there are people there who still would not — you’re a Republican, you’re a Trumper — they should love you and they don’t. I think there is still racism."</p><p>In response, Donalds stated, "Let’s talk a little bit about the Panhandle. There are counties we did incredibly well in that we won. There were some counties that we fell a little short in, that’s okay." He pointed out the crowded Florida primary field, which had 11 Republicans on the ballot, with candidates "who had various lines of support."</p><p>"The number one thing overall, we closed out 48% of the vote in Florida," Donalds said. "800,000 votes [is] a long way to becoming the nominee." He pushed back against Maher's argument that racial bias influenced the primary results, insisting that Florida is a place where people can pursue opportunities in elected office.</p><p>"Florida really has become the microcosm of what we all want," Donalds said. "It's a meritocracy. And it's about the best person with the best views, the best skills, the best talent moving forward to represent your state or to represent a district in your state, and Florida exemplifies that."</p><p>However, former Florida state Senator Dave Aronberg was not as quick to attribute Donalds' showing to the crowded primary field. "When you look at the primary numbers, Byron Donalds falling short of 50% does raise some legitimate questions," Aronberg told Fox News Digital. "Yes, there were 11 names on the ballot, but few of his opponents were viable contenders, and Donalds had a massive fundraising and name recognition advantage compared to the rest of the field. It wasn't exactly a neck-and-neck dogfight."</p><p>Aronberg added, "When you see him underperforming in certain rural pockets, it's hard to completely dismiss race having played at least some quiet role. Going into November, Republicans have a massive advantage in party registration and financial resources. But this will be no cakewalk based on what we saw in the primary, along with President Trump’s lagging poll numbers and the quality of his Democratic opponent."</p><p>Maher later challenged Donalds on his campaign platform by pointing to President Donald Trump’s tariffs impacting affordability across the country — especially in Florida. "I don't feel like the president's policies are making that affordable part easy for you," Maher said.</p><p>Maher continued, "Even the Wall Street Journal, which is usually pretty far right, calls this trade war with Canada the ‘dumbest trade war,’ that's the title. It says Republicans are already getting pounded on the campaign trail over his tariffs and inflation, mostly because of the war. Byron, are you getting pounded on the campaign trail?"</p><p>"I think that people in Florida are thinking about their pocketbooks. Well, that's like anywhere else," Donalds said. He defended Trump’s tariffs on Canada, adding that the president is reevaluating trade policies that are not working for the American people. "But I would rather have a chief executive that looks at these deals and engages these other countries and fights for Americans, [rather] than just lets them roll knowing that they're not gonna be in the interest of small businesses," Donalds said.</p>