Trump-backed Rep. Byron Donalds Secures Nomination as FL Governor, Paving Way for GeneralE
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Trump-backed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) won the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday, clearing the way for a general election showdown to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) after a contentious primary that tested the future of Florida’s conservative movement.
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The Guardian USPrimary voters in Florida backed a Republican endorsed by Donald Trump to stand as the party’s candidate in the race to succeed Ron DeSantis as the state’s governor.
Washington TimesTrump has had an inconsistent record on picks for governor in primaries this year, and a strong showing by Donalds would leave him, and Republicans in general, in a more commanding position for November. Though DeSantis coasted to reelection in 2022, he squeaked into office in 2018 by little more of 32,000 ballots out of 8.1 million cast.
PBS NewsHourGOP Rep. Donalds will run against Democrat Jolly in Florida's race for governor November's election will test President Donald Trump's grip on his adopted state and Democrats' ability to resurrect Florida as a national political battleground.
NBC NewsEven as Republicans have dominated the state’s gubernatorial contests, Democrats largely remained competitive — until DeSantis, who could not run again due to term limits, won his 2022 re-election bid by more than 20 points. That historic margin prompted a huge Republican victory lap and claims that Florida had changed since its days as the nation’s largest swing state.
NPR NewsFORT MYERS, Fla. — The race to replace Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who's running for governor, has drawn a unique cast of characters.
HuffPostSouthwest Florida congressman Byron Donalds took one step closer to becoming the state’s first-ever Black governor Tuesday, defeating the sitting lieutenant governor and a former state House speaker in the Republican primary.
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Jolly, a former Republican member of Congress, later changed parties and is seen as a more moderate Democrat. That’s something many in the party believed was needed after more progressive nominees, including the Democratic gubernatorial nominee who narrowly lost to DeSantis in 2018, came up short in high-profile governor’s races.
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The Guardian USJolly, a former Republican congressman and lawyer, became an independent, then switched parties last year.
Washington TimesDemocrats’ leading candidate for governor is David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties last year.
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Jolly faced only nominal competition for the Democratic nomination after Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings suspended his campaign in June after a cancer diagnosis. Former Democratic state Rep. Dottie Joseph was also in the race but never really gained momentum.
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The Guardian USJolly easily fended off a challenge from five other Democrats, including state representative Dotie Joseph and Dayna Marie Foster, a former high school educator who was endorsed by the Florida Democratic Progressive caucus.
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President Donald Trump endorsed Lauf last week, saying she “has proven she has the Courage and Wisdom to deliver strong results for the incredible people of her State and Nation.” Before her run for Donald’s seat, Lauf ran for Congress in Illinois twice, including once in the Republican primary against Oberweis.
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NPR NewsIn Trump's Thursday evening endorsement of Lauf, he said she "has proven she has the Courage and Wisdom to deliver strong results," pointing to her tenure at the U.S. Department of Commerce during his first administration.
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Other candidates, such as Jim Schwartzel, a local media mogul and one of the few longtime Florida candidates, have campaigned by attacking those who don't have deep ties to the state.
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The Daily WireMany of Schwartzel’s campaign ads in the days leading up to the race focused on how the other candidates were recent transplants to Florida.
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Collins, who represented New York in Congress from 2013 to 2019, was convicted of insider trading and lying to the FBI. He was sentenced to 26 months in prison, but was pardoned by Trump about two months into his prison sentence.
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NPR NewsThe ad also takes aim at candidates who did get elected, like former Congressman Chris Collins, from New York. He served time in prison for insider trading and lying to the FBI before receiving a pardon from Trump in late 2020. Collins declined to comment for this story.
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Donalds, who is 47, with 80% of the vote counted Tuesday night held the lead with 49%, far ahead of his opponents.
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The Daily WireWith more than half the vote counted, Donalds is cruising to victory with about 49%, well ahead of Lt. Gov. Jay Collins (R-FL) at 25% and businessman James Fishback (R-FL) at 10%. Decision Desk HQ called the race at 8 p.m. ET.
6 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 NBC News Republicans control all levels of state government in Florida and have not lost a race for governor since 1994.
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02 The Guardian US Florida, arguably the heart of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement, and home to his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach estate, will choose a successor to DeSantis – Trump’s one-time rival for the Republican presidential nomination – in November’s US midterm elections.
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03 Washington Times FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Republican attempting to become Florida’s first Black governor faces a crowded field Tuesday while Democrats wage primary battles for a reduced pool of left-leaning seats under redrawn congressional maps.
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04 NPR News Key results from Florida primaries, so farVoters in Florida are picking their party's candidates for governor, Senate and a number of U.S. House seats after redistricting.
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05 The Daily Wire A Florida businessman won a chaotic Republican House primary that featured a former Trump adviser, two former congressmen from different states, and a January 6 defendant.
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06 HuffPost He will now face former GOP-congressman-turned-Democrat David Jolly, who had no serious opponent in his party’s primary, in the November election.
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