Trump-backed Byron Donalds wins Florida governor race, state's first Black governor

Republican Byron Donalds beat Democrat David Jolly in Florida's closely watched governor's race, according to a race call by the Associated Press ¹. Donalds will become Florida's first Black governor ¹².

The Associated Press called the race in Donalds' favor at 9:09 p.m. ET with 50.1 percent of the vote compared to Jolly's 48.7 percent ³. Donalds, who was endorsed early by President Donald Trump, was widely considered the favorite ⁴.

Donalds raised a staggering $130 million, giving him a huge financial advantage, and he was running in a state that has not elected a Democratic governor since 1994 ⁴. Jolly did work to keep things closer than the last gubernatorial contest, which term-limited GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis won by more than 20 points ⁴.

Donalds stumped on affordability issues - inflation, housing and insurance - and promised to continue the conservative policies of out-going Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who remains popular in Florida and joined Donalds during the campaign ¹. Donalds touted the outgoing governor's endorsement and billed his campaign as "a continuation of the DeSantis-era of success", while warning that Jolly was seeking "to undo what Ron DeSantis built" ².

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Jolly campaigned on a "believe in better" slogan, zeroing in on affordability issues such as housing, inflation and gas prices and the boom in AI data centers ¹. And on the trail, he called Donalds "data center Donalds" for taking campaign contributions from industry players ¹.

Jolly declined to debate Donalds, a surprise decision that drew criticism from both parties ⁴. "You can't debate a liar," Jolly said in September when he announced he would not debate ⁴.

Donalds' win comes as Florida Democrats pulled off shock wins in congressional races amid the state's redistricting effort ³.

Donalds, 48, who spent most of his career in the finance industry, has served two terms in Congress and two terms in the Florida House ¹. Seen as a rising star in the Republican party, he started as a Democrat and left the party in 2010 ¹.

Jolly, 54, served in Congress as a Republican before leaving the party in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term ¹. He changed his registration to no-party affiliation and then switched to Democrat last year ¹.

Donalds will succeed Ron DeSantis, the former presidential candidate who will be termed out of office in January ². Donalds will become Florida's fifth consecutive Republican governor ⁴.

That matters because the race was one of the country's most-watched midterm contests, and Donalds' victory extends the GOP's nearly three-decade run in the Governor's Mansion ²⁴. The new governor inherits a divided state where a booming economy and population growth has driven up costs and forced many people to leave ².

The Record

1. Nov 3, 2026The Associated Press called the Florida governor's race for Byron Donalds at 9:09 p.m. ET with 50.1 percent of the vote to David Jolly's 48.7 percent ³.
2. Nov 4, 2026Republican Byron Donalds beat Democrat David Jolly in Florida's governor's race, according to a race call by the Associated Press ¹.

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<h2>Trump-backed Byron Donalds wins Florida governor race, state&#39;s first Black governor</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-backed-byron-donalds-wins-florida-governor-race-state-s-first-black-governor">The GOP Files</a> on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.</em></p> <p>Republican Byron Donalds beat Democrat David Jolly in Florida&#39;s closely watched governor&#39;s race, according to a race call by the Associated Press . Donalds will become Florida&#39;s first Black governor .</p> <p>The Associated Press called the race in Donalds&#39; favor at 9:09 p.m. ET with 50.1 percent of the vote compared to Jolly&#39;s 48.7 percent . Donalds, who was endorsed early by President Donald Trump, was widely considered the favorite .</p> <p>Donalds raised a staggering $130 million, giving him a huge financial advantage, and he was running in a state that has not elected a Democratic governor since 1994 . Jolly did work to keep things closer than the last gubernatorial contest, which term-limited GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis won by more than 20 points .</p> <p>Donalds stumped on affordability issues - inflation, housing and insurance - and promised to continue the conservative policies of out-going Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who remains popular in Florida and joined Donalds during the campaign . Donalds touted the outgoing governor&#39;s endorsement and billed his campaign as &quot;a continuation of the DeSantis-era of success&quot;, while warning that Jolly was seeking &quot;to undo what Ron DeSantis built&quot; .</p> <p>Jolly campaigned on a &quot;believe in better&quot; slogan, zeroing in on affordability issues such as housing, inflation and gas prices and the boom in AI data centers . And on the trail, he called Donalds &quot;data center Donalds&quot; for taking campaign contributions from industry players .</p> <p>Jolly declined to debate Donalds, a surprise decision that drew criticism from both parties . &quot;You can&#39;t debate a liar,&quot; Jolly said in September when he announced he would not debate .</p> <p>Donalds&#39; win comes as Florida Democrats pulled off shock wins in congressional races amid the state&#39;s redistricting effort .</p> <p>Donalds, 48, who spent most of his career in the finance industry, has served two terms in Congress and two terms in the Florida House . Seen as a rising star in the Republican party, he started as a Democrat and left the party in 2010 .</p> <p>Jolly, 54, served in Congress as a Republican before leaving the party in 2018 during President Donald Trump&#39;s first term . He changed his registration to no-party affiliation and then switched to Democrat last year .</p> <p>Donalds will succeed Ron DeSantis, the former presidential candidate who will be termed out of office in January . Donalds will become Florida&#39;s fifth consecutive Republican governor .</p> <p>That matters because the race was one of the country&#39;s most-watched midterm contests, and Donalds&#39; victory extends the GOP&#39;s nearly three-decade run in the Governor&#39;s Mansion . The new governor inherits a divided state where a booming economy and population growth has driven up costs and forced many people to leave .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-backed-byron-donalds-wins-florida-governor-race-state-s-first-black-governor">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/trump-backed-byron-donalds-wins-florida-governor-race-state-s-first-black-governor.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. NPR, “Republican Byron Donalds wins governor's race in Florida” (2026-11-04). npr.org/2026/11/03/g-s1-151260/florida-governor-donalds-joll
2. The Guardian, “Trump-endorsed Republican Byron Donalds wins Florida race for governor” (2026-11-04). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/03/florida-governor-byron-d
3. Newsweek, “Byron Donalds Beats David Jolly, Becoming Florida's First Black Governor” (2026-11-04). newsweek.com/byron-donalds-beats-david-jolly-becoming-florid
4. NBC News, “GOP Rep. Byron Donalds becomes Florida’s first Black governor” (2026-11-04). nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/byron-donalds-florida-gov

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