Byron Donalds Wins Florida GOP Primary for Governor in Historic Bid

Trump-backed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds won the Republican nomination for Florida governor Tuesday night, cruising past Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and a crowded field to set up a November matchup with former Rep. David Jolly. The same primary night delivered a stunning upset on the Democratic side of the state's Senate race, where state Rep. Angie Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, toppled establishment favorite Alex Vindman. When the dust settled, Republicans walked away with the state's marquee nominations in hand and a Democratic Party more divided than ever heading into the fall.

Donalds Rides Trump Endorsement to a Commanding Primary Win

Donalds captured roughly 48 percent of the Republican vote with nearly all ballots counted, outpacing Collins by more than 380,000 votes. Collins, the lieutenant governor and a handpicked successor figure for outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis, finished with about 25 percent. Investor James Fishback trailed at 10.5 percent, and former state House Speaker Paul Renner took 8.5 percent, with seven other candidates splitting the remainder.

The Associated Press called the race for Donalds shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. Eastern time. His victory capped a campaign powered by an early endorsement from President Donald Trump and a record-setting war chest of roughly $111 million -- more than six times the combined fundraising of every rival in the field. Donalds has represented southwest Florida's 19th District since 2021, and his win makes him the first Black candidate to carry the Republican banner for governor in state history.

For the president, the result validated a marquee endorsement in the state he calls home. Donalds ran as a full-throated champion of the America First agenda, and the margin was never in doubt as results rolled in.

Jolly Emerges as Donalds' November Opponent

Waiting for Donalds in the general election is David Jolly, a former Republican congressman turned Trump critic who secured the Democratic nomination with roughly 61 percent of the vote. Jolly easily cleared a five-candidate field, with high school math teacher Dayna Marie Foster taking about 15 percent and state Rep. Dotie Joseph finishing near 10 percent.

Jolly left the Republican Party after Trump's rise remade it, and he has spent the intervening years as one of the president's more vocal conservative critics. His crossover bid gives Democrats a familiar face at the top of the ticket, but it also sets up an unusual general election in which the Republican nominee will defend the party's dominant position in a state that has trended decisively red for a decade.

The November 3 contest will be historic either way it lands. Donalds is seeking to become Florida's first Black governor, while Jolly is trying to become the first Democrat to win the office since Lawton Chiles in 1994. Republicans enter the fall with a massive voter-registration advantage and control of every statewide office.

Democratic Socialist Upsets the Establishment in Senate Race

The night's biggest shock came in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Nixon, a Jacksonville state representative and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, beat Vindman by a 56 percent to 44 percent margin with nearly all precincts reporting.

Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and former National Security Council aide who became a star witness during Trump's first impeachment, held every resource edge in the race. He outspent Nixon roughly 16 to 1, pouring more than $16 million into the campaign against her modest six-figure war chest. Nixon nonetheless rode a platform of universal health care and a $25-an-hour minimum wage to become the first Black woman to win a major-party Senate nomination in Florida history.

She will face Sen. Ashley Moody, who cruised to the Republican nomination with nearly 80 percent of the vote against challenger Chris Gleason. Moody was appointed to the seat in January 2025 by then-Gov. DeSantis after Rubio left for the State Department, and the winner of November's special election will serve out the final two years of Rubio's term. Forecasters rate the seat solidly Republican, and several observers noted that the socialist pick likely weakens Democratic hopes of flipping it.

House Shakeups and What to Watch in November

Down the ballot, the night produced a pair of notable House results. In the 7th District, former Orlando news anchor Ryan Elijah ended two-term Rep. Cory Mills' reelection bid, taking about 47 percent to Mills' 43 percent. Mills had been dogged for months by allegations ranging from domestic abuse and revenge porn accusations to questions about business dealings and claims of military valor -- baggage that turned what should have been a safe primary into a referendum on his conduct. Voters delivered a clear verdict.

Elijah, backed by Reps. Mike Haridopolos and Anna Paulina Luna, will face Democrat Bale Dalton, a former Navy captain and NASA chief of staff, in November. Trump-backed candidate Catalina Lauf also came up short in the crowded race for Donalds' open 19th District seat, while incumbents held on elsewhere: Debbie Wasserman Schultz survived a redrawn 20th District primary, and Jared Moskowitz turned back a Democratic Socialists of America challenger in the 25th with roughly 64 percent of the vote.

The takeaway from Tuesday night is a Republican Party that consolidated behind the president's agenda in the races that matter most and a Democratic Party pulled between its socialist wing and its establishment. Donalds and Moody now carry heavy favorites' roles into November, and the biggest question left in Florida is not whether Republicans hold the state, but how the left's infighting shapes the national conversation between now and Election Day.