Donald Trump Jr. appeared on Thursday night at Hialeah Park to support the Republican candidate for governor of Florida, Byron Donalds, in a rally that delivered a warning message: the polls are closer than the Republican Party would like with just five days to go before the elections on November 3.
The event, held in front of more than 100 supporters at the Hialeah Park Clubhouse, was the second stop for Donalds in that city during his statewide "Defending the Florida Dream Bus Tour," which includes 50 stops across 38 counties in Florida.
Trump Jr. focused his remarks on voter mobilization: "We have a great opportunity to keep Florida as the great state we all love, but we need people to get out and vote."
«In five days we are going to win. We are going to keep Florida free. And we are going to keep Florida red. This entire campaign has been about defending the dream of Florida. Because living in Florida, for so many who have chosen it, is a dream,» said Byron Donalds to his supporters.
Blaise Ingoglia, the state’s Finance Director seeking reelection, issued the most direct warning of the night: “I’m sure you’ve all seen the polls. These polls are much closer than we would like to see. It’s a shame, but it’s a reality.”
A St. Pete Polls survey conducted from October 25 to 27 shows Donalds with only a two-point lead over the Democrat David Jolly (48% to 46%).
The poll by the University of North Florida, published in the middle of the month, showed a statistical tie at 49% to 47%. The one from the New York Times and Siena College gives Donalds a four-point lead, but with Jolly leading among independent voters by 52% to 35%.
The situation becomes complicated due to the tension within the Cuban-American community regarding the immigration policy of the Trump administration. According to the FIU Cuba Poll 2026, 76% of Cuban-Americans in Miami-Dade reject the increase in deportations of Cubans without legal status and without criminal records, and 87% support resuming the processing of immigration benefits.
Despite this discomfort, 68% of Cuban-Americans who expressed a preference said they will vote for Republican candidates on November 3, compared to 28% who will choose the Democrats.
The choice of Hialeah as a setting is not coincidental. With 166,572 residents of Cuban origin —73.6% of its total population— it is the city with the highest Cuban concentration in the United States, surpassing Miami.
Donalds bet from the outset of his campaign on the candidate for lieutenant governor, Bryan Ávila, a former state senator born in Hialeah and the son of Cuban exiles, who represented precisely the district that includes that city.
At the rally, federal senator Ashley Moody and attorney general James Uthmeier also attended.
The immigration offensive by Trump threatens to harm national Republican support among Hispanics, according to recent analyses.
In Florida, early voting in Miami-Dade is extended until November 1, with centers open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; on the election day, November 3, voters must go to their assigned polling place in the same hours.
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