Byron Donalds Wins GOP Primary in Race to Succeed DeSantis

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., has won the Republican primary for Florida governor, positioning him to compete in the November general election to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Donalds, who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement, had secured about 49% of the vote shortly after the Associated Press called the race. He entered the contest as the clear favorite, with most polls showing him holding a double-digit lead over his Republican rivals.

Donalds will now face Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who later became an independent, in the general election. The contest will determine DeSantis’ successor after the governor reaches his term limit.

DeSantis did not endorse a candidate in the Republican primary. His lieutenant governor, Jay Collins, was among the candidates, creating a choice between Collins and Trump-backed Donalds.

The general election is expected to be competitive. Polling has generally shown Donalds with a narrow advantage over Jolly, including a James Madison Institute survey earlier this month that gave Donalds a seven-point lead. Florida has become considerably more Republican since DeSantis first won the governorship in 2018 by less than one percentage point. He secured reelection in 2022 by nearly 20 points, while Trump carried Florida in each of his three presidential general elections.

Trump also issued a late endorsement Tuesday in the Republican primary to replace Donalds in Florida’s 19th Congressional District. He urged voters to support former Trump Commerce Department adviser Catalina Lauf, who previously ran for Congress in Illinois before relocating to Florida.

Lauf was joined on the congressional ballot by several candidates with previous political campaigns in other states, including Jim Oberweis, who had run against Lauf in Illinois, and Olah Hawatmeh, who previously sought a congressional seat in New York. Former Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., was also a candidate. Collins pleaded guilty to insider trading-related charges and was later pardoned by Trump. Former Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., who lost reelection after a series of controversies, was also on the ballot. Among those controversies were two incidents involving attempts to bring a loaded gun to an airport.

Donalds is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and a prominent ally of Trump. Before entering politics, he worked in banking and finance. He was elected to the Florida state legislature in 2016 and won a seat in Congress in 2020, representing a district that includes parts of Fort Myers and Naples.

Donalds was also considered among Trump’s potential vice presidential selections. He later sought the House speakership in opposition to former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., during McCarthy’s historically prolonged battle to secure the position.