Florida voters choose two former congressmen with sharply different political paths to compete for the governor’s mansion
By Marcos A. Tejeda
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s race for governor is officially set.
Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly won their respective gubernatorial primaries Tuesday night, securing their parties’ nominations and setting up a closely watched November 3 general election to determine who succeeds term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Associated Press declared both candidates winners Tuesday evening as returns showed commanding advantages in their respective contests.
With more than 80 percent of the expected vote counted Tuesday night, Donalds had approximately 49 percent of the Republican vote, while Jolly was capturing more than 60 percent on the Democratic side, according to preliminary results reported by Spectrum News.
Donalds emerges from crowded Republican field
Donalds, a U.S. congressman representing Southwest Florida, entered the primary as one of the race’s most recognizable Republicans and enjoyed the backing of President Donald Trump.
He defeated a crowded Republican field that included Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and several other candidates.
The victory further demonstrates Trump’s continuing influence over Republican politics in Florida. Donalds had been considered the Republican frontrunner for much of the campaign and largely focused his message beyond the primary toward the general election.
His campaign has emphasized affordability, tax policy and conservative governance while seeking to continue much of the political direction Florida has taken during the DeSantis years.
Donalds could also make Florida history. If elected in November, he would become the state’s first Black governor.
Jolly completes an unusual political transformation
The Democratic victory by David Jolly creates one of the more unusual gubernatorial matchups in recent Florida political history.
Jolly previously served in Congress as a Republican, representing a Tampa Bay-area district. He later broke with the Republican Party and became a prominent critic of Trump before eventually joining the Democratic Party.
Now he will carry the Democratic banner in the race for Florida governor.
Jolly has positioned himself as a centrist capable of appealing not only to traditional Democratic voters but also to independents and moderate Republicans dissatisfied with the increasingly polarized political environment.
He defeated five Democratic opponents Tuesday and won the nomination decisively.
Florida’s political direction will be tested
The November election will offer voters two markedly different choices.
Donalds represents the conservative coalition that has helped Republicans establish increasingly strong control over Florida politics. Jolly, meanwhile, is attempting to build a broader coalition of Democrats, independents and moderate voters.
Republicans enter the general election with an important historical advantage.
Florida Democrats have not won a gubernatorial election since 1994, and the state has moved significantly toward Republicans during the past decade. DeSantis won reelection in 2022 by nearly 20 percentage points, while Republicans have strengthened their position in statewide elections and voter registration.
That means Jolly’s primary victory represents only the beginning of a considerably more difficult challenge.
Donalds enters November as the candidate of the party currently dominating Florida statewide politics, but the general election will test whether Jolly’s moderate profile and Republican background can attract enough crossover voters to make the race competitive.
Earlier polling had suggested that the matchup could warrant attention. Surveys conducted before the primary showed Donalds ahead in some polls while another survey had the two candidates tied, although those numbers were collected months before voters formally selected the nominees.
A race with national implications
Florida is the nation’s third-most-populous state, making the governor’s race important well beyond its borders.
The contest will also provide an important measure of Trump’s political strength in his home state and whether Democrats can begin reversing years of Republican gains in Florida.
For Donalds, the strategy will likely involve consolidating the Republican electorate while linking his campaign to the conservative policies that have helped Republicans dominate recent statewide elections.
For Jolly, the path is narrower. He must energize Democratic voters while simultaneously winning independents and attracting Republicans and former Republicans uncomfortable with the direction of the GOP.
That makes Central Florida, including the rapidly growing Orlando and Osceola County regions, potentially important territory as both campaigns move toward November.
The primary is over. The real campaign begins now.
Tuesday’s results transform the Florida governor’s race.
The question is no longer who will represent each major party.
It is whether Byron Donalds can extend Republican control of the Florida governor’s mansion — or whether David Jolly can assemble an unconventional coalition capable of ending more than three decades of Democratic defeats in gubernatorial elections.
Florida voters will make that decision on November 3, 2026.
The Sun Post News
