Florida politics: Byron Donalds wins gubernatorial election

Rep. Byron Donalds defeated former Rep. David Jolly in Tuesday's Florida gubernatorial election, according to projections from the Fox News Decision Desk.

Donalds, a three-term congressman from southwest Florida, will succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis as the top executive in the nation's third most populous state. He is the first Black politician to win a Florida governor's race and the first Black Republican to hold the office in the United States.

The victory caps a campaign in which Donalds positioned himself as the leading ally of President Donald Trump. Trump endorsed Donalds in February of last year, before the congressman formally launched his bid for the executive mansion. Donalds announced his candidacy during an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity." In the August Republican primary, Donalds captured nearly half the vote, outperforming a field that included Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and business executive James Fishback.

Jolly, a Democrat who left the GOP in 2018, challenged Donalds with accusations of inconsistency. Two weeks before the general election, Jolly told Fox News, "Byron Donalds is a liar. I've condemned socialism in the DSA [Democratic Socialists of America] hundreds of times, and he knows that." Donalds responded by labeling Jolly a "radical socialist" throughout the campaign.

Donalds is a New York native who moved to Florida for college. He worked in finance, insurance, and banking before entering politics as a Democrat in 2010. He switched to the Republican Party during the Tea Party movement, served two terms in the Florida House after his 2016 election, and then won a congressional seat.

Jolly was a Florida native who worked as a lawyer and lobbyist before entering Congress. He won a special election in March 2014 and a full term later that year, but lost re-election in 2016. He later became a cable news commentator and a vocal critic of Trump before rejoining the Democratic Party last year.

Donalds stated in a victory post on X that he is "humbled and grateful beyond measure." He pledged to make life in Florida more affordable, keep streets safe, and invest in young people to attain the "Florida Dream." The state has shifted right over the past decade, with DeSantis winning his 2022 re-election by nearly 20 points and Trump carrying the state by 13 points in 2024. Despite a 1.5 million registered voter advantage for Republicans, Democrats have become more competitive in recent cycles.