Byron Donalds, a three-term Republican congressman from Naples, held off a challenge from Democratic nominee David Jolly to take the Florida governor’s race, results from the state Division of Elections showed late Tuesday evening.
In doing so he is slated to become the first Black governor of Florida.
According to state election returns late Tuesday evening, Donalds had 50.1 percent of the vote, to Jolly’s 48.7 percent.
“As your Governor, I will give you everything I have,” Donalds posted on X. “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.”
Jolly is a former U.S. House member who was a Republican when he served in Congress from 2014-2017. He left the party when President Donald Trump rose to prominence in the GOP, and later became a Democrat.
Campaigning on economic issues and linking Trump’s policies and the higher cost of living to Donalds, whom Trump endorsed, Jolly also tried to reach out to disaffected Republican voters.
But his push was unable to overcome Donalds’ massive financial advantage, where he spent $165.9 million to Jolly’s $24.7 million, according to campaign finance records showing spending through Oct 29. The Republican Party of Florida’s turnout machine also helped put Donalds on top, with Republicans swarming the polls on Election Day, after Democrats had outperformed early vote totals from the 2024 elections.
Donalds in his victory speech said he had spoken to Jolly, who had conceded.
During the campaign, Donalds pushed back on Jolly’s message to voters, claiming his plans for Florida’s property insurance market, which entailed the state taking on the windstorm risk portion of a homeowner policy, would amount to a “hurricane tax” that would push premiums higher.
Donalds also attacked Jolly, seen as a moderate Democrat, as a “Trojan horse,” for progressive and socialist policies, citing his support for the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Angie Nixon, who joined the Democratic Socialists of America in June.
Jolly also hit Donalds for not supporting a moratorium on large-scale data centers used to power burgeoning artificial intelligence technology. Many voters soured on the facilities, which often require large amounts of energy, placing more pressure and greater costs on the grid.
Donalds was able to blunt that criticism by saying he supported the law passed by the Legislature this year at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ request, which places new requirements on data centers, including making AI companies pay for the new energy costs of the facilities.