Byron Donalds Is Florida’s Next Governor

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds distributes MAGA hats at a campaign rally in Daytona Beach, Fla., on FridayMother Jones illustration; Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. Florida voters have just elected Byron Donalds, the Republican Congressman backed by President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, to be Florida’s first Black governor. Donalds won the race as of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. “THANK YOU FLORIDA!,” he posted on Facebook. “I am humbled and grateful beyond measure. As your Governor, I will give you everything I have.” Donalds faced a competitive race against Democratic nominee David Jolly, a former Congressman from Pinellas County, who was previously a Republican before abandoning the GOP after Trump’s 2016 election. Both candidates campaigned on promises to lower the cost of living in Florida, which has become increasingly unaffordable in recent years for many families thanks to rising property insurance costs and inflation. Add to this, high gas prices and Trump’s cratering popularity. In the days leading up to the election, polls had Donalds just a few points ahead. Donalds also campaigned on the idea of maintaining DeSantis’s policies that have created what Republicans call the “Free State of Florida.” Donalds faced challenges along the way, in particular regarding data centers, which he vehemently supports, but many Florida voters opposed. For his part, Jolly supported a statewide moratorium on data centers. Donalds came under scrutiny for his financial ties to the tech industry, from accepting campaign contributions from AI donors to maintaining stocks in a myriad of companies involved with the development of data centers. As I reported in August, many Republican voters who opposed data centers in their communities were reluctant to throw their support behind Donalds. Voters’ rage at these construction projects has extended into Florida’s politics and splintered the Republican base. Many of these Floridians, some of whom are lifelong Republicans, are not voting for US Representative Byron Donalds, the leading GOP candidate running for governor to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis, during this week’s primary election. Donalds has openly supported the technology infrastructure, provided regulations were in place. As Politico reported, he’s also accepted millions in campaign contributions from data center developers. “I’m not anti-data center. I’m pro having a plan,” Donalds said in February, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “Data centers are going to be a function of American life going forward.” Although polls show he will win the Republican nomination, the data center issue likely will discourage many GOP and independent voters from supporting him, even leading them to cast ballots for his opponents. Slowey, a registered Republican, will vote on Tuesday for Jay Collins, the current lieutenant governor, who has vowed to put Floridians first before data centers, calling for stringent guardrails around the facilities. I spoke to other residents who say they will vote for Bobby Williams, a grassroots conservative and third-generation Florida native who opposes data centers. It is unlikely he’ll win, according to polls, but the fact that he has amassed support in many communities outside bustling metro areas is one more example of a nationwide trend of how once-loyal voters are fed up with the current GOP establishment that takes money from large corporations at the expense of local concerns. While Donalds focused on Florida’s sizable Republican voter base, Jolly embraced voters from all political affiliations and united them behind the idea of improving affordability and going after corruption. His message resonated with some Republicans, among them elected officials, who publicly supported him in September: George Kruse, a commissioner in deep-red Manatee County, is another elected Republican now supporting Jolly. Kruse wrote about this decision on his Substack. “Every day, every meeting, residents of Manatee County express frustration with overdevelopment, a lack of infrastructure, and a lost local voice. As a local commissioner, I see firsthand the local control being stripped away, the growth management authority being preempted, and your local voices being silenced,” he wrote. “If you want things to be different in Tallahassee, you need to go out and vote for something different.” “People need to start focusing on the person instead of the party,” Kruse told me. Kruse, co-chair of the Republicans for Jolly coalition, is also supporting Kelly Kirschner, a former Sarasota mayor running for congressional district 16 in southwest Florida as a Democrat. “You have to vote for the better person, and sometimes that person has a different letter after their name. Sometimes, that person has a D after their name.” Nonetheless, in this predominantly red state, the GOP prevailed. On X on Tuesday night, DeSantis congratulated Donalds and Republican winners in other races, Attorney General James Uthmeier and US Senator Ashley Moody. Florida sweeps again — congrats to the statewide ticket:Byron Donalds, GovJames Uthmeier, AGBlaise Ingoglia, CFOWilton Simpson, Ag Comm.— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 4, 2026