Former House Speaker Paul Renner continues to draw contrasts between himself and the front-runner in the race for Governor, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, hammering Donalds on his conservative bona fides.

During an interview with anti-Donalds radio host Jenna Ellis, Renner said Donalds was a “campaign conservative” who lacked any legislative accomplishments, failed in his campaign against Renner for House Speaker, and is “someone who has never really led anything and wants now to be the leader of the Free State of Florida and has not done anything in office.”

“And, to the extent he has, it’s been weak, it’s been questionable,” Renner added. “You scratch your head and say, ‘Is this guy really a Republican or a conservative?’”

As he has before, Renner went on to accuse Donalds of coddling criminals, linking arrests in the Naples Republican’s past with being soft-on-crime.

“I pointed out on public safety, you know, he’s been arrested not once, but twice. He came into the state Legislature and pushed soft-on-crime legislation to let people out after 6.5 years on a 10-year sentence. So you see them on the street corner and thinking they were going to still be in prison,” Renner said.

Donalds was arrested for pot possession in 1997 and for trying to pass a bad check three years later, crimes committed when he was in his teens and early 20s, respectively. Donalds has called the incidents “mistakes.”

Renner also criticized Donalds for talking “about police brutality as a problem in America.”

“Being anti-cop is not what we expect from a Governor of Florida. And I’ve been tough on crime, obviously, as a prosecutor and as Speaker of the House,” Renner added.

Renner also charged Donalds with “self-promotion,” saying it’s “what we see from too many politicians like Congressman Donalds that are just going on TV.”

“They’re all about themselves. They seem to be getting very rich in office and that’s not who we want in office,” Renner said.

Renner also suggests Donalds might see being Governor as a stepping stone to being a running mate for Vice President JD Vance in 2028. Thus far, Donalds has not floated that possibility publicly.

Donalds’ campaign offered a statement after Renner’s comments were published.

“Byron Donalds will be Florida’s next governor because he is the proven conservative fighter endorsed by President Trump. Anyone running against Byron is an anti-Trump RINO and will be crushed in the Republican primary,” said Ryan Smith, Donalds Campaign Chief Strategist.

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