Byron Lowell Donalds was born on October 28,1978 and is an American politician and financial professional serving as the US representative for Florida's 19th congressional district since 2021.
25 Facts About Byron Donalds
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Byron Donalds's district serves most of the heart of Southwest Florida, including Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Estero, and Naples.
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Byron Donalds represented the 80th district in the Florida House of Representatives from 2016 to 2020.
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Byron Donalds was elected to Congress in 2020, defeating Democratic nominee Cindy Banyai.
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Byron Donalds was born and raised in the Crown Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.
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In 1996, Byron Donalds graduated from Nazareth Regional High School in East Flatbush.
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In 1997, Byron Donalds was arrested for marijuana distribution; the charges were dropped as part of a pre-trial diversion program.
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Byron Donalds began his professional career in 2003 as a credit analyst at TIB Bank.
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Byron Donalds was promoted to senior credit analyst in 2004, and later promoted to commercial credit manager, assistant vice president, and credit manager.
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Byron Donalds left TIB Bank in 2007 and took a position as a portfolio manager at CMG Surety LLC In 2015, he joined Wells Fargo Advisors as a Financial Advisor.
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In 2012, Byron Donalds was a candidate for the US House of Representatives in Florida's 19th congressional district.
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Byron Donalds was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2016.
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Byron Donalds was the Republican nominee for Florida's 19th congressional district in the 2020 election, running to succeed retiring incumbent Francis Rooney.
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Byron Donalds won a crowded nine-way Republican primary by 770 votes over State Representative Dane Eagle, finishing just over the threshold to avoid a recount.
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Byron Donalds later clarified via tweet that he was not dropping out and called the messages "illegal".
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Byron Donalds said he would focus on policy related to water quality in Southwest Florida.
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In late 2020, Byron Donalds was identified as a participant in the "Freedom Force", a group of incoming House Republicans who "say they're fighting against socialism in America".
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In January 2021, Byron Donalds voted to object to the certification of electors from Arizona and Pennsylvania in the 2020 presidential election.
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In June 2021, Byron Donalds was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq.
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On January 3,2023, Byron Donalds received one vote in the 118th Congress's first election for Speaker of the House, from Chip Roy.
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Byron Donalds voted for Kevin McCarthy on the first two ballots, then for Jim Jordan on the third.
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Byron Donalds was nominated by Lauren Boebert on the fifth ballot, and again received 20 votes.
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Byron Donalds was sequentially nominated by Scott Perry, Dan Bishop, Andy Biggs, Matt Rosendale, and Anna Paulina Luna on the sixth to tenth ballots.
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Byron Donalds was not nominated on the 11th ballot, but still received 12 votes.
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Byron Donalds switched his vote back to McCarthy after House Republican leadership made many concessions to House Freedom Caucus members.