Florida State Republican launches US congressional bid: 'Conservatism is a home for all Americans'
Florida State Rep. Byron Donalds says he will stand firm on conservative principles and stand up for the Constitution in Washington.
Florida State Rep. Byron Donalds, who calls himself a “proud conservative,” said on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday that he is running for Congress to show that “conservatism is a home for all Americans, no matter where you come from, no matter how you grew up.”
Donalds, who is originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., and has lived in Naples, Fla., since 2003, announced his candidacy for Florida’s 19th congressional district in a campaign video on Monday.
“I am everything the fake news media tells you doesn’t exist. A strong, Trump-supporting, gun-owning, liberty-loving, pro-life, politically incorrect black man,” he says in the video.
Donalds became the eighth Republican candidate to officially file to replace outgoing congressman Francis Rooney in southwest Florida, according to Fox 4.
In October, Rooney announced that he is retiring and would not seek reelection for a third term, saying that he already accomplished what he sought to do as Florida's representative.
REP FRANCIS ROONEY ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT, WANTS TO BE A 'MODEL FOR TERM LIMITS'
In his campaign video, Donalds, a financial adviser and banker, also said that he “will stand with the president against these impeachment radicals who trample our Constitution and paralyze our country with their dangerous lies.”
“The left wants you to think being Republican means being privileged, racist and out of touch,” he continued. “Well, I am not going to let them get away with this.”
Speaking on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday, Donalds, who said he's the son of a single mother and grew up poor, elaborated on why he wanted to enter the race saying, “Frankly, we need a conservative that you can believe in in Congress.”
“The key thing in our area, number one, is that immigration is massively important to us. We want to make sure that we actually fix our borders. That we actually have an immigration system that works for all people trying to come to America the right way and also protects American citizenship, which is vital in the lives of all Americans,” he said.
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“But even bigger than that, we have to have people who are going to stand firm on conservative principles to stand up for the United States Constitution,” he continued.
“I have been a constitutionalist ever since I have been in politics the last 10 years and so for me, it's important to go to Washington to fight for the Constitution and also begin the work of expanding the Republican Party, because we have to have new voices, new faces, people who are going to help expand our tent, stand for the president and not only win in 2020, but in the years beyond.”
Fox News' Sam Dorman contributed to this report.
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