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Republican Byron Donalds will be Florida’s next governor after defeating Democrat David Jolly. The victory makes Donalds the state’s first Black governor and the first Black elected Republican governor in U.S. history.
He is the fifth consecutive Republican to win Florida’s governor race since Jeb Bush started the red wave in 1998.
"I am humbled and grateful beyond measure," Donalds said in a statement posted to X. "As your Governor, I will give you everything I have. We are going to make life in Florida more affordable. 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. 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."
A CNN poll showed Donalds defeating Jolly with 50% of the vote over Jolly’s 48.7%, as of 9:24 a.m. ET on Wednesday with an estimated 99% of votes counted. Jolly led in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, taking 95% of the vote. However, Donalds won over Pasco County with 55% of the vote versus Jolly’s 43%.
Additionally, according to exit polling, Donalds won 13% of Florida's Black vote, the same ratio won by governor Ron DeSantis in 2022. Yet the composition of the vote was dramatically different this go round. Donalds won a record-setting 25% of Black men (six percentage points more than DeSantis), and only 6% of Black women (down 3% compared to 2022).
During his watch party at the Tampa Convention Center, Jolly said that he called Donalds to congratulate him and had one simple ask of the governor-elect.
“I said, ‘Governor-elect, I only ask that you consider one thing,”Jolly shared with his supporters. “The people that emerged in our coalition that voted for Gwen Graham and David Jolly tonight, please know that they are not radical, communists, socialists, I said to Byron, they’re now your constituents, and what we ask of any governor is that they put the people of the entire state, ahead of the people of a party or an ideology or an agenda.”
Donalds campaigned on addressing inflation, housing costs and insurance while preserving policies associated with DeSantis’ administration. He was heavily criticized for his stance on DEI and lack of support for the Black community, including his stance on restoring billions in funding for Florida A&M University.
Donalds raised more than $130 million during his campaign and he was previously endorsed by President Donald Trump. Nonetheless, the president endorsed Donalds on his X ahead of Election Day.
“Byron Donalds has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of the Great State of Florida,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post, calling Donalds a “total winner” and Jolly a “Radical Left Dumocrat.”
But when polls taken earlier this year showed Trump losing popularity in Florida, Donalds sought to distance himself from the president and removed references to him on his website. Among his other supporters were Gainesville city commissioner at-large Cynthia Moore Chestnut, who endorsed Donalds.
He made his victory speech at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Broward County.
“We have people who are struggling,” Donalds told supporters, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times. “We have people who are looking at their insurance bills. We have people who are looking at their bank accounts, month in, month out, day in, day out, trying to figure out how they’re going to make ends meet. My mission as Florida’s next governor is to make sure that they can build a great life here in the great state of Florida.”
Donalds concluded his speech saying, "Even if you didn’t vote for me, you have my word that I will be your governor.”
Before entering politics, Donalds worked in finance, insurance, and banking. A New York native, Donalds moved to Florida and attended Florida A&M University. He later attended Florida State University. He won the election to the Florida House in 2016 and later advanced to Congress, where he represented Florida's 19th Congressional District.
Donalds will be sworn in and take office on Jan. 5, 2027.
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