Byron Donalds turns focus to Florida general election as data centers take center stage
Governor candidate Byron Donalds policy announcement
Rep. Byron Donalds held a press conference and knocked on doors in Pinellas County during a campaign swing less than four weeks from the August 18 primary. FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Rep. Byron Donalds held a press conference and knocked on doors in Pinellas County during a campaign swing less than four weeks from the August 18 primary.
Pinellas County political swing
What we know:
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds held a press conference and knocked on doors in Pinellas County on Friday as part of a campaign swing less than four weeks before the Aug. 18 primary election. During door-to-door visits, several voters told Donalds they planned to support his campaign.
"This is the action," Donalds said while door-knocking. "This is where it all happens."
Donalds' campaign released internal polling that shows him leading his opponents by nearly 45 percentage points in the four-way Republican field, with other polls showing him surpassing the 50% mark.
AI data center debate
What we know:
With 25 days remaining until the Aug. 18 primary, voters asked Donalds about artificial intelligence data centers, which have emerged as a dominant issue in Florida. Donalds said he would only support data center construction with proper controls.
State laws currently aim to keep facilities from raising consumer utility bills, tapping public water, or building near residential areas. Counties like Hernando, Citrus and Pasco have blocked approvals for at least a year, and a recent poll showed 68% of voters oppose local data center construction.
What they're saying:
During a press conference earlier in the day, Donalds focused on healthy school lunches, but he also expanded on data centers, saying he agrees with state laws that are supposed to prevent them from increasing utility bills, from tapping public water and from allowing them to be built near residential areas.
But, he isn't ready to sign on to moratoriums.
"That's a signal to the business community that this is not a place to invest capital," said Donalds. "This is not a place to invest in businesses. And so we have to be balanced and be mindful about that."
Conversely, likely Democratic nominee David Jolly called for a statewide moratorium during a Thursday interview on CNN.
"The United States should lead in AI. If Florida's not a place for the big data centers because of our fragile water infrastructure, it's okay to say that," Jolly said. "I'm running to fight for the people of Florida."
Florida general election outlook
What we know:
A recent poll shows Donalds holding a 46-41 lead over Jolly in a hypothetical general election matchup. Donalds challenged Jolly to three debates, noting that a general election matchup would be much tighter than the Republican primary.
"We need to have that contrast," Donalds said.
What's next:
Jolly said he would consider debating Donalds, but emphasized that Donalds must first win the Republican primary against Jay Collins, Paul Renner and James Fishback. During a Thursday night interview on CNN, Laura Coates asked Jolly if he would debate Donalds one or three times.
"A dozen times," Jolly responded. "Let him get through his Republican primary right now, because I'm not sure he can get through that."
Primary voters will head to the polls on August 18.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from campaign trail coverage and a press conference with Rep. Byron Donalds in Pinellas County, as well as a CNN interview with David Jolly.