Republican Byron Donalds has won the Florida governor’s race, defeating Democrat David Jolly and extending nearly three decades of Republican control over the state’s top office. Donalds becomes Florida’s first Black governor.
Donalds succeeds Ron DeSantis, who left office after serving two terms. The win keeps Florida’s governorship in Republican hands, a run that has continued largely uninterrupted for about 30 years.
Before entering politics, Donalds worked as a credit analyst and portfolio manager. He was elected to the Florida House in 2016, where he worked on school choice and insurance issues, and has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2021. He entered the governor’s race early in the cycle with the backing of President Donald Trump.
After the results came in, Donalds posted on social media, “We did it, Florida! THANK YOU!”
During his victory remarks, Donalds said, “Mr. President, I want you to hear from Florida that we are still red.” He also told the crowd, “Before I say anything — I want to thank my LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.”
Campaign Themes
Donalds campaigned heavily on affordability, calling for tax cuts, changes to insurance regulations intended to lower costs for consumers, and greater price transparency from healthcare providers. Florida currently has no state income tax.
In Congress, Donalds has supported measures tied to lower taxes, border security and reduced federal involvement in state and local matters, positions that were central to his campaign for governor.
Donalds now takes over leadership of a state that, under DeSantis, drew national attention for resisting many of the widespread COVID-19 restrictions adopted elsewhere, including extended lockdowns, school closures and business mandates.
As governor, Donalds will be responsible for following through on his campaign promises around insurance reform and tax relief while managing the state’s continued population growth.
