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This one is for the boys in the Polos. Rap star-turned Republican darling Nicki Minaj has put her political bona fides to work with a late-stage nomination for Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds just before Tuesday’s primary. If you’re wondering whether you just wandered into an episode of South Park, so are we.
The “Super Bass” superstar put down the microphone after her Pink Friday 2 World Tour concluded in 2024, only to pick it up again in December 2025 during an appearance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest to publicly back President Donald Trump. None of this is shocking to Millennials, who’ll remember Lil Wayne’s “Mercy” in 2012 when she so eloquently sang, “I’m a Republican voting for Mitt Romney/ you bitches is fucking up the econ’my.”
Over the weekend, with only days away from the primary on Tuesday, Minaj quote tweeted a post by Donalds asking for Floridians’ votes.
“You have my vote. Barbz please support him however you can. #TheGoodGuys,” Minaj wrote on X, gaining more than 2.1 million views and 2,000 comments.
The comments were brutal, with many making jokes about voting for Republican opponents like current Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and South Florida native James Fishback.
“Oh honey. I thought you were smart. We Floridians are not supporting this lying, cheating do nothing NY Democrat poser. You probably should rethink this post baby girl,” one commenter wrote.
Others seemingly fell right in line, with one writing, “I have zero idea who this is but I got ya girl. Let’s support!”
Others quickly told voters to do their own research rather than rely on the advice of a celebrity. Fortunately for readers, New Times Senior Editor Natasha Yee did her homework on Donalds.
The school-choice advocate is married to charter school operator Erika Donalds, so education is near the top of Donalds’ priorities. The couple has proposed replacing the state’s A-through-F school grading system with individualized learning plans tailored to every student, expanding apprenticeships and workforce training, embracing artificial intelligence and education technology, and opening the education system to greater private-sector participation.
Donalds’ school model frames parents as consumers and schools as competitors in an educational marketplace, with Erika Donalds previously telling New Times in an email, “There’s nothing wrong with earning a profit when you’re delivering an education that parents freely choose and that produces excellent results. That’s how we invite America’s best innovators to bring their talents to the education space, just as competition drives quality and access in every other part of our lives.”
