Carmine Marceno Eyes SWFL House Seat as Byron Donalds Eyes Tallahassee
By Richard Luthmann
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno is looking to Washington. And for good reason.
With Trump-endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds poised to enter the Florida Governor’s race, the open Southwest Florida congressional seat has become prime political real estate.
For President Trump and the America First movement, there’s one man who checks all the boxes: Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
TRUMP’S SHERIFF IN CONGRESS: MARCENO MOVES AS DONALDS RISES?
Marceno hasn’t officially declared. However, his team has confirmed interest, and Trump insiders say the MAGA camp is watching closely.
“Sheriff Marceno is 100 percent America First,” said a senior Trump political advisor. “He’s got the law-and-order credentials, the loyalty to the president, and the guts to stand up to the radical left.”
Marceno is a known quantity in MAGA circles. A vocal Trump supporter, he’s been on the front lines of the fight to Make America Safe Again. He locked down Lee County. He took on fentanyl traffickers. He backed Trump on immigration and public safety. And he was reelected in 2024 with nearly 90% of the vote.
Donalds is the clear favorite for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Trump has endorsed him. And MAGA is lining up behind him.
That leaves a vacuum in Congress—and a shot for a Trump loyalist to fill it.
Marceno may be controversial, but he wins, and in President Trump’s America, that matters.
TRUMP’S SHERIFF IN CONGRESS: MEDIA SMEARS AND RINO SABOTAGE
Marceno’s rise hasn’t come without resistance. Over the past six months, the left-wing media has launched a barrage of hit pieces targeting the sheriff. Their goal is to take out a Trump ally before he gains more power.
NBC2, WINK, the News-Press, and even Florida Trident have run story after story citing unnamed sources and disputed documents. They say Marceno accepted a piano from a “ghost employee.” They claim he failed to sign paperwork with ICE and took campaign cash from shady figures. What’s next? You can half-expect a smear piece that says he hates apple pie and puppy dogs.
Marceno’s response? “Baseless and politically motivated.”
Clearly.
“These allegations are fiction,” said Marceno’s attorney, Donald Day. “We are confident the sheriff will be cleared.”
No charges have been filed, and the investigations are “ongoing.” But even if they weren’t, the attacks reek of desperation.
Leftist Smear Campaign Targets Law-and-Order Sheriff Carmine Marceno
“They couldn’t beat him at the ballot box,” said a senior Collier County GOP figure. “So now they’re trying to tear him down with the same garbage they threw at President Trump.”
The Florida Republican Party hasn’t helped. Behind the scenes, RINOs in Southwest Florida are trying to remove Marceno.
In January, the Lee County Republican Assembly passed a resolution demanding Marceno’s suspension. Their language included the NBC2, WINK, and News-Press reports that parroted Democrat Party talking points.
“The Republican Party in Florida is overrun with cowards,” said a Trump operative familiar with the dust-up. “They want a DeSantis 2.0. But the base wants Trump—and that means they want Carmine.”
TRUMP’S SHERIFF IN CONGRESS: DESANTIS DYNASTY DELUSION
If there’s one thing the Marceno-Donalds moment reveals, it’s that Florida politics is entering a new phase.
Ron DeSantis had his shot. He ran against President Trump. He lost badly. But now, rumors swirl that his wife, Casey, may seek higher office. Some even whisper that she might run for governor.
Bad idea.
“Ron and Casey risk becoming the Bill and Hillary Clinton of the Republican Party,” said a MAGA strategist. “The people want Donalds, not dynasties.”
Trump’s endorsement of Donalds is clear. And the MAGA movement sees the Florida Governor’s Mansion as the next beachhead in the battle for the New American Golden Age.
Donalds is a young, Black firebrand populist with real conservative credentials. President Trump sees him as a future leader of the America First movement.
Marceno’s role in that vision? Law-and-order enforcer on the Hill. A sheriff in the halls of Congress.
“President Trump needs fighters in Washington,” a senior campaign advisor said. “Carmine is a fighter.”
THE PATH FORWARD: AMERICA FIRST, FLORIDA STRONG
The message is simple: Byron Donalds goes to Tallahassee, Carmine Marceno goes to Washington, and the Trump Train keeps rolling.
This isn’t about scandal. It’s about strategy. This isn’t about ethics reports. It’s about elections.
No one is saying Marceno is perfect. But he’s a proven leader, a relentless enforcer, and a Trump loyalist in a region where MAGA is gospel.
RINOs, leftist prosecutors, and local political rivals can’t stop him. If anything, their opposition proves that Marceno is the right man for the job.
“Anyone who steps in front of the Trump Train is going to get run over,” said a senior Trump political operative. “And Carmine is riding in the engine car.”
Florida is Trump Country. And in Trump Country, lawmen don’t run from fights—they run for office.
If Lee County voters send Carmine Marceno to Congress, they won’t just be electing a congressman.
They’ll be sending a message: America First is here to stay. And the New American Golden Age begins in Southwest Florida.
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