About a dozen protesters greeted U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds outside a downtown Orlando campaign stop on Wednesday, lining the sidewalk across from the Orlando Public Library while the congressman held a meet-and-greet inside the neighboring Eola View tower. The exchange stayed calm but cutting, as activists with local group Orlando 50501 chanted and waved signs blasting Donalds’ alignment with national MAGA figures and business interests, even as his campaign operation rolled on inside. The moment offered a street-level snapshot of local resistance to the Trump-backed frontrunner ahead of a pivotal Republican primary this summer.
Organizers with Orlando 50501 said about a dozen people turned out across the street from the event, some handing out literature to passersby. “He calls Trump ‘daddy’ — he’s his puppet,” Theresa O’Mara, 67, told onlookers, and organizer Corey Hill urged allied groups to coordinate their actions so they hit harder together, according to Orlando Weekly. The protest remained peaceful, and there were no reported arrests.
Donalds, a New York native and Republican congressman who has secured former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, is crisscrossing the state on a "Defending the Florida Dream" bus tour as he runs to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis. His campaign has cast the stops as a way to sell a law-and-order, pro-business agenda while collecting endorsements from prominent conservatives, according to Byron Donalds for Governor. In Orlando on Wednesday, those events drew both supporters and critics.
Business Backing and Endorsements
Part of what drew protesters to the sidewalk was Donalds’ growing list of industry allies. The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association has formally endorsed him and praised his push for workforce expansion and fewer regulations, per the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, and the Associated Industries of Florida has likewise thrown its weight behind his bid. Protesters said those kinds of endorsements spotlight who stands to benefit most if Donalds wins the governor’s mansion.
Protesters Call Out Donors and Influence
Demonstrators told reporters they wanted to draw attention to Donalds’ ties to national donors and pro-Israel lobbying groups, arguing that those relationships could shape his decisions in Tallahassee. Rival GOP candidate James Fishback has publicly accused Donalds of taking large sums from those interests, claiming he accepted $45 million from AIPAC and other donors, a charge organizers cited as part of their motivation for the protest, according to Orlando Weekly. Activists said they intend to keep the pressure on with more visible, coordinated actions as the primary day draws closer.
Where the Race Stands
A recent memo from Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, released in early May, put Donalds at about 54% among likely Republican primary voters, giving him a sizable edge over the rest of the field, according to The Floridian. Florida’s primary election is scheduled for Aug. 18, 2026, and both campaigns and grassroots groups are expected to maintain a brisk pace across the state in the coming months, per Election Protection.
Wednesday’s downtown standoff was brief and largely symbolic, yet it captured a familiar theme in this governor’s race: neighborhood organizers trying to chip away at a well-funded, nationally connected contender while that candidate courts industry donors and conservative power brokers. Donalds’ tour will roll on to its next stop, and Orlando activists say they will be there, on the curb and in the streets, as the August primary approaches.
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