Republican Rep. Byron Donalds has won Florida’s race for governor, narrowly defeating Democrat David Jolly in Tuesday’s election. With more than 95 percent of the vote counted, Donalds led Jolly by 1.3 percentage points, a margin of fewer than 108,000 votes.
Donalds will succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis. Jolly had drawn attention during the campaign for saying he wanted to apologize on Florida’s behalf for what he called “culture wars,” a reference to policies such as restrictions on gender-transition procedures for minors and enforcement measures targeting criminal illegal immigrants that became hallmarks of the DeSantis administration.
In his victory speech Tuesday night, Donalds opened by thanking his faith before turning to his personal story in the state.
“Before I say anything, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Donalds said. “My 30 years in Florida has been a very interesting 30 years, but more than anything, it’s been a story of redemption. It’s been a story of people that I met along the way, back in college, through young adulthood.”
Donalds also addressed President Trump directly during the speech, saying, “Mr. President, I want you to hear from Florida that we are still red.” He thanked DeSantis for his leadership and said he would work to keep Florida “the very best state in all of America.”
Following the win, Donalds posted a message to supporters online. “THANK YOU FLORIDA!” he wrote. “I am humbled and grateful beyond measure. As your Governor, I will give you everything I have.” He pledged to focus on affordability, public safety and opportunities for young Floridians.
“We are going to keep our streets safe. We are going to invest in our young people so that they can attain the Florida Dream that all of us love so dearly,” Donalds wrote. “Florida is the envy of the nation. I will fight day and night to keep it that way and to lift our state to even greater heights.”
He closed the post with, “God Bless you, God Bless Florida, and God Bless America.”
Donalds’ win came alongside another Republican victory in the state: Sen. Ashley Moody defeated Democratic Socialists of America candidate Angie Nixon in Florida’s U.S. Senate race. The two results made Florida one of the few bright spots for Republicans on an election night in which Democrats made gains nationally, retaking control of both the House and the Senate.
