Byron Donalds is expected to announce his running mate Tuesday at Miami’s Freedom Tower, and State Sen. Bryan Avila has emerged as the favorite for the pick. The timing and the setting point directly at Miami-Dade, where Donalds is trying to make a statement as the race turns toward the stretch.
Avila is the name drawing the most attention because he fits the campaign’s effort to speak to Hispanic voters in a county with 1.29 million registered voters. He was raised in Hialeah by Cuban immigrant parents, serves as a captain in the Florida Army National Guard and has spent eight years in the House before moving to the upper chamber, a record that gives him both roots and resume.
The choice of Miami and the Freedom Tower is not subtle. Susan MacManus said it signals that Miami-Dade is a very important part of the state for Republicans, especially as they try to regain support they have lost recently over ICE. Donalds lost to Lt. Gov. Jay Collins in 17 rural counties in the primary, but those counties had just 233,000 registered voters, far fewer than Miami-Dade alone.
That is why the running mate question has become less about geography than message. Other names in circulation included State Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, State Rep. Meg Weinberger, U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack and U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, but the campaign’s most obvious opening appears to be Hispanic outreach. Vanessa Brito said, “He needs a Hispanic. He needs to fill the gap,” and added, “In order to mobilize them, you need a reason, and for Hispanics the reason is somebody who looks like them, talks like them, and has been through what they’ve been through.”
Avila brings that profile without looking like a gamble. He identifies himself as an American-first conservative, was recognized by The American Conservative Union as the Most Conservative Member of the Legislature in 2024, championed Everglades protection, introduced legislation to make it easier for combat medics to become nurses and carried water for Gov. Ron DeSantis on property tax reform. He also routinely lambasted Miami-Dade city government, which gives him a sharper local edge than a stranger to the county.
Still, the safe choice may be the point. The campaign can use a running mate with Cuban roots, military service and a conservative record while avoiding the risk that comes with a higher-profile wild card. MacManus said Republicans have done well with Latino women running mates and pointed to Jeanette Nuñez, while Brito said of Anna Paulina Luna, “If it’s Luna, think about it. It would be an epic pick and honestly smart on the Republican end,” but the current favorite is the legislator whose district can be filled without much political drama.
So the question is not whether Donalds wants to lean into Hispanic outreach in Miami-Dade. He clearly does. The question is whether he locks in Bryan Avila, or decides that the sharper surprise is worth more than the safer fit when he steps up at the Freedom Tower event.
