Byron Donalds Cruises to Victory in Florida GOP Governor Primary, Advances to November Showdown

Trump-endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds easily won Florida’s Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday night, securing the GOP nomination in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Donalds captured roughly 48% of the vote in the crowded Republican contest, finishing far ahead of his challengers. The Southwest Florida congressman will now face Democratic nominee David Jolly in the Nov. 3 general election.

President Donald Trump’s endorsement played a major role in Donalds’ campaign. Trump backed the congressman shortly before Donalds formally entered the governor’s race in 2025, giving him an early advantage as Republicans began jockeying to replace DeSantis.

Donalds largely maintained his commanding position throughout the campaign. Rather than spending much of the primary attacking fellow Republicans, he increasingly focused his attention on the general election and portraying Jolly as too liberal for Florida.

The Republican field included Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former state House Speaker Paul Renner and businessman James Fishback. Collins had received support from DeSantis, setting up another test of Trump’s political influence against the outgoing governor’s preferred candidate. Donalds ultimately emerged comfortably ahead of the field.

Following his victory, Donalds called for Republicans to unite behind his campaign heading into November. He has made affordability, property taxes, government spending and transparency major parts of his gubernatorial platform while promising to continue Florida’s conservative direction.

Jolly, meanwhile, easily captured the Democratic nomination with more than 60% of the vote. The former Republican congressman left the GOP in 2018 and eventually registered as a Democrat, setting up an unusual general election between two men who have previously belonged to different political parties.

Democrats face a difficult political environment in Florida. The state has shifted decisively toward Republicans in recent elections, and Democrats have not won a Florida gubernatorial election since 1994. DeSantis won reelection by nearly 20 points in 2022.

Donalds could also make history if he wins in November. He would become Florida’s first Black governor, adding another milestone to a political career that has taken him from the Florida Legislature to Congress and now within one general-election victory of the governor’s mansion.

Tuesday’s result also represents another victory for Trump’s influence over Florida Republican politics. Donalds entered the race with the president firmly behind him, dominated the crowded primary and will now carry the Republican banner into November as the GOP seeks to maintain its decades-long hold on the Florida governor’s mansion.