Key facts
- Byron Donalds won the Republican primary for Florida governor.
- Donalds is a congressman representing south-west Florida.
- Donalds was endorsed by Donald Trump.
- Donalds defeated Jay Collins, Ron DeSantis's lieutenant governor.
- David Jolly secured the Democratic nomination.
- Donalds could become the first Black governor in a southern US state.
Byron Donalds, a congressman endorsed by Donald Trump, has won the Republican primary in Florida, securing the party's nomination to succeed Governor Ron DeSantis. Donalds, who has represented south-west Florida since 2021, decisively defeated three other Republican candidates, including Jay Collins, DeSantis's own lieutenant governor.
If Donalds wins the general election in November, he would become the first Black governor in any southern US state. His campaign, which focused on affordability and reducing property taxes and insurance costs, aligned with Trump's "Make America Great Again" agenda. Donalds had previously been considered a potential vice-presidential pick for Trump.
On the Democratic side, David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties last year, secured the nomination. Jolly ran a more moderate campaign but faced attacks from Donalds, who labeled him a "radical liberal." Jolly faces an uphill battle in November, as no Democrat has won a Florida gubernatorial election since 1994, and no Democrat has won a statewide election in Florida since 2018.