Trump-backed Byron Donalds to make history as Florida’s first Black governor

Rep. Byron Donalds just made history as the first Black politician to win a gubernatorial election in Florida as Fox News Decision Desk projected the congressman winning Tuesday's election. 

He is also the first Black Republican in the nation's history elected governor.

Donalds, a three-term congressman from southwest Florida, defeated Democratic rival former Rep. David Jolly in a close race to win the Sunshine State's gubernatorial election, the Fox News Decision Desk projects.

With his victory, the top House ally of President Donald Trump and MAGA champion with a growing national profile will succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis in steering the nation's third most populous state.

"I am humbled and grateful beyond measure," Donalds said in a victory 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."

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Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, left, faced off with former Rep. David Jolly, a one-time Republican turned Democrat, in the 2026 gubernatorial race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images ; Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Continuing and building upon DeSantis' conservative agenda was a key part of Donalds' campaign for governor.

Donalds was endorsed by Trump in February of last year, before he even formally launched his campaign for governor. Donalds declared his candidacy for governor during an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity."

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Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., speaks as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis listens during a Leadership Forum at the T. Pepin's Hospitality Centre on Sept. 1, 2026 in Tampa, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Backed by Trump, Donalds won nearly half the vote in Florida's August GOP gubernatorial primary. He topped a crowded field of rivals that included Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and business executive James Fishback.

Donalds made headlines in late September when some references to Trump, whose approval ratings have continued to decline, were scrubbed from his campaign website.

President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds for Florida governor even before Donalds launched his gubernatorial campaign early last year. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

A New York City native, Donalds moved to Florida to attend college. He worked in the finance, insurance, and banking fields before entering politics. A one-time Democrat, he became a Republican in 2010 amid the Tea Party movement. Donalds was elected to the Florida House in 2016, serving two terms before winning a seat in Congress.

Jolly, a Florida native who served as a top advisor to then-Rep. Bill Young, also worked as a lawyer and a lobbyist before winning a special congressional election in March of 2014. He won a full two-year term to the House later that year before losing re-election in 2016.

After leaving office he became a vocal Trump critic and a cable news political commentator. Jolly left the GOP in 2018 and became a Democrat last year before launching his gubernatorial campaign.

Former Republican Representative David Jolly, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Florida, speaks during the National Action Network (NAN) 35th Anniversary Convention in New York, on Thursday, April 9, 2026. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

During their showdown for governor, Donalds showcased anti-socialism messaging, repeatedly claiming that Jolly embraced "radical socialism."

Firing back, Jolly told Fox News two weeks ago, "Byron Donalds is a liar. I've condemned socialism in the DSA [Democratic Socialists of America] hundreds of times, and he knows that."

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Florida was once the largest of the general election battlegrounds, but the state has shifted to the right over the past decade. DeSantis won his 2022 re-election by nearly 20 points and Trump carried the state by 13 points in his 2024 White House re-election victory.

But despite Republicans enjoying a roughly 1.5 million registered voter advantage over the Democrats in the Sunshine State, Democrats are competitive again in Florida thanks to a rough political climate facing the GOP.