Byron Lowell Donalds (born October 28, 1978)[2] is an American politician and financial analyst who has served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 19th congressional district since 2021, as a member of the Republican Party.

[11] Several months later, Donalds was a candidate in the third nomination for the October 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election.

[15] Donalds was born and raised in the Crown Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

[21][22] In 2000, he pleaded no contest to a felony theft charge for allegedly attempting to defraud a bank (by depositing a bad check), but his record was later sealed and expunged.

[21][22][23][24] According to an attorney consulted by the fact-checking site PolitiFact, "Donalds would not have been able to get his record expunged if the state considered him a convicted felon.

[28] In 2014, he was reported as a likely candidate for the U.S. House in Florida's 19th congressional district after Trey Radel resigned, but did not run.

[29] Donalds was the Republican nominee for Florida's 19th congressional district in the 2020 election, running to succeed retiring incumbent Francis Rooney.

He won a crowded nine-way Republican primary by 770 votes over State Representative Dane Eagle, finishing just over the threshold to avoid a recount.

[33][34] During his campaign, Donalds described himself as a "Trump supporting, gun owning, liberty loving, pro-life, politically incorrect Black man.

"[35] He stated his support for economic freedom, clean water, nuclear power and decreased government involvement in health care.

In late 2020, 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".

[14] In June 2021, Donalds was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.

[50] He was sequentially nominated by Scott Perry,[51] Dan Bishop, Andy Biggs, Matt Rosendale, and Anna Paulina Luna on the sixth to tenth ballots.