Byron Donalds says conservatives must focus on mission as 2026 approaches

Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds said Sunday that the best response to recent electoral setbacks for conservatives is to focus on establishing their vision for the country and delivering tangible results for the American people.

“It’s about what you actually do,” said Donalds, who spoke earlier in the day about gridlock in Congress and the failure to pass some tenets of the conservative agenda through a Republican-majority legislature. “And I think that’s part of the message here at Turning Point.”

“Look, we have disagreements, that’s fine. We need to focus on the mission in front of us. We need to focus on what’s actually going to get voters to the polls and get them to the polls. It’s about having a set of positions, a philosophy, a vision for the future of this country. We have that vision. We need to continue to communicate it.”

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Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., speaks in Hollywood, Florida. (Al Diaz/Getty Images)

Asked about election losses in recent months – including in Trump-friendly Miami; not far from Donalds’ district in Collier County — the congressman said it shows conservatives can’t “rest on their laurels” as they successfully elected Trump and were dispatched with far-left governance.

“And believe me, I’m happy he’s president, but you’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to keep getting people to the polls. That’s always what it comes down to,” he said, adding that Democrats were motivated to participate in elections like Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Miami — and the latter was notably a runoff in the middle of the holiday season.

“We must respond to that motivation by knowing that when our policies are in place, it’s better for the American people. It’s better for our nation. It’s better for every state in America.”

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In Miami, Democrats won back the mayoral office for the first time this century, while the former Democratic mayor in 1998 – Xavier Suarez – became a Republican himself and is the father of incumbent Republican Francis Suarez.

Donalds suggested that the city race offered classes for national competitions.

“Specifically in Miami, there have been independent mayors and so on… First, you had a runoff election a few weeks before Christmas. Those are very difficult elections to get out of the way. And that’s why we have to have mission-mindedness about the nuts and bolts of campaigns,” he said.

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“And it’s still about getting people to vote. It’s about messaging. It’s about direct contact with the candidate. That’s what we need to focus on. As long as we’re doing those things, we have the policies and we have a vision.”

In this regard, Donalds said he was encouraged by the young people attending AmericaFest, who numbered in the thousands.

“I remember, you know, 15 years ago we would have never even thought that you could have an event like this… where there were this many high school and college kids,” he joked.

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“And it’s here, it was built, and it’s all about the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk. Now the responsibility is to make sure that this movement continues.”

In this regard, he criticized “the pettiness and stupid divisions” that have emerged in recent times, reiterating that conservatives must “focus on the mission.”

“The mission is to win the elections. You win the elections in order to pass your program and institutionalize your program.”

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Although he is considered the favorite in his own race – to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis – there have been suggestions that other high-profile Florida Republicans could jump into the race and potentially force voters to choose sides in the primary.

Asked about his prospects, Donalds said his race is going “incredibly well” and that he has garnered significant support from Trump, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and several top congressional representatives from the Sunshine State and beyond.

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“We’re very fortunate to be in the position that I’m in right now… You know, the primaries are happening. We’re having this debate, we’re having this contrast. I firmly believe that when you stack up the records and when you stack up the policies, you stack up the vision that I’m going to be very successful,” he said.

“And then the focus will be on reuniting our party once the primaries are over, to focus on winning – that’s a recipe for success.”

Paul Mitchell Picasso of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.