Byron Donalds

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Wednesday that when people move to Florida, they soon wonder what took them so long.

Donalds is running for the governor and is considered the front-runner for the Republican nomination, having received the endorsement of President Donald Trump and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.

"We're blessed," Donalds said on "Carl Higbie: FRONTLINE." "We've been crisscrossing the state, talking to the people of Florida, and being focused on the issues that matter in this election."

"And that's how do you make sure that we push down the cost of insurance and property taxes?" Donalds added. "It's also about road construction, managing growth for the future of Florida, building out our economy and making sure our young people have a pathway towards success so they can put food on the table, put a roof over their head and build the Florida dream for themselves.

"The way I was able to build it in my life with my wife, Erica," Donalds continued.

Donalds said people are moving to Florida from blue states like New York and Connecticut because of its way of life.

"They're coming for a reason," Donalds said. "They're coming for the common sense. They're coming for the conservative policy. And mostly they're coming to have a state that just leaves you alone."

Florida is a state that "prioritizes law and order ... backs the blue, that really follows those commonsense policies," Donalds said. "The voters of our country just want common sense to reign.

"That's what they want more than anything else. And they find that in Florida."

"People, whether they're coming from New York or California, Illinois, they come to Florida and they say, 'Thank God I got here,’" Donalds added. "'I should have came five years ago.'"

Donalds said when he meets with Floridians, they want to ensure the state remains a free state.

"How do we keep it the conservative state that it is the No. 1 state in all of America?" Donalds said. "We're very blessed in our state.

"But you can't take anything for granted. You have to make sure you stand firm on principles first and then sound policy that's going to keep Florida, Florida."

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