Florida Governor Donald Trump Faces Former Congressman Byron Donalds in Primary
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Now, Donalds will (likely) face off against David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who left the party in 2018 and is now running for Florida governor as a Democrat. Jolly is also running on an affordability message and has cast the election as "a decision about what Florida becomes next."
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The Daily WireTrump-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.
BreitbartRep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) won Florida’s Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday, putting the Trump-backed congressman one step closer to succeeding Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The HillDonalds, Jolly to face off to replace DeSantis in Florida Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and former Rep. David Jolly, a Republican-turned-Democrat, are projected to face off in the Florida governor’s race this fall to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), according to Decision Desk HQ.  Donalds defeated 10 other Republicans for the GOP gubernatorial nod while Jolly defeated five Democrats. DeSantis, a former 2024 GOP hopeful,…
The Guardian USByron Donalds, a congressman representing south-west Florida since 2021, won the nomination by trouncing three reasonably prominent Republican rivals, including Jay Collins, DeSantis’s handpicked lieutenant governor.
Washington ExaminerRep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and former Florida Republican Rep. David Jolly, now a Democrat, are advancing to the general election after winning their respective gubernatorial primaries on Tuesday.
ABC NewsEyes will also be on Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, the front-runner in the Florida GOP gubernatorial primary, who is expected to clinch the Republican nomination. Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited.
New York TimesByron Donalds Wins Republican Nomination for Florida Governor Mr. Donalds, a conservative congressman with the backing of President Trump, seeks to become the state’s first Black governor.
USA TodayIn Florida, Donalds enters the general election knowing that voters there haven't elected a Democrat for governor since 1994.
New York PostDonalds, boosted by President Trump, recorded 49% of the vote, nearly doubling up Sunshine State Lt. Gov. Jay Collins (24.7%), while and far-right former investor James Fishback (10.1%) and former state House Speaker Paul Renner (8.2%) battled to finish a distant third.
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Fishback, who has himself faced questions over sexual misconduct allegations, financial disputes, and residency requirements, sought to capitalize on Donalds’ past but faced backlash after calling the GOP front-runner a “DEI hire” and a “slave” to corporate interests.
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New York PostFishback stole most of the campaign headlines with highly inflammatory comments, including accusing Donalds of wanting to turn Florida into a “Section 8 ghetto” and threatening to send civilians armed with AR-15s to quell teen violence in the state.
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Collins, who became lieutenant governor in 2025, emerged as Donalds’ closest challenger. DeSantis did not endorse a candidate in the primary, though Collins was widely viewed as an ally of the governor.
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Fox NewsIn second was current Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, a close ally of the governor who explicitly ran on a platform to "protect the DeSantis legacy." Despite heavy support from the Florida GOP establishment, Collins ultimately garnered just ()% of the vote on Tuesday night. DeSantis did not endorse in the primary to succeed him. Collins, however, emphasized that DeSantis appointed him.
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“I know Byron well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a TOTAL WINNER,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Byron Donalds will be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”
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Fox NewsIn a social media post,, Trump wrote, "Byron Donalds would be a TRULY GREAT and POWERFUL Governor for Florida and, should he run, will have my complete and total endorsement. RUN, BYRON, RUN!"
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Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 USA Today For a party regularly mocked as too White, too old and too male, two Black GOP nominees for governor undercut Democratic attacks against Republicans' purported lack of diversity.
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02 New York Post The last Democrat elected governor of Florida was Buddy MacKay, who exited office in January 1999.
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03 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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04 Washington Examiner Jolly also holds the edge with independents on the topic of data centers, which has become a key issue in the gubernatorial race in the Sunshine State. Jolly has promised a moratorium on the large-scale industrial campuses, while Donalds has said he would support data center construction while considering environmental protection and protecting ratepayers.
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05 ABC News Tuesday is Florida's primary election day and marks the first primaries since the Florida legislature passed a new congressional map earlier this year that could allow Republicans to flip up to four seats in November's midterm elections, increasing the GOP's chances of maintaining control of the House.
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06 Fox News With the GOP nomination secured, Donalds is expected to have a major advantage in the general election as Florida has grown increasingly red over the last decade.
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07 The Daily Wire “It’d be a great honor, but it’s his decision,” Donalds said in a Nashville interview with The Daily Wire at the time. “He’ll decide what he wants to do, and whatever his decision is, I’m going to support that. I just want to win,” he added. “I’m a real simple dude. I just want to win and be successful. That’s it.”
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