Republican Byron Donalds wins election for governor in Florida

By The Associated Press
November 03 2026 06:10 PM

Republican Byron Donalds won election Tuesday as governor of Florida, defeating Democrat David Jolly. He will be the state’s first Black governor and will follow fellow Republican Ron DeSantis, who was term-limited. Donalds has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2021 and has been a staunch ally of President Donald Trump. Florida has not elected a Democrat as governor since 1994. Jolly is a former Republican congressman. The Associated Press declared Donalds the winner at 9:09 p.m. EST.

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The Associated Press

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