Byron Donalds narrowly captured Florida’s governorship, making history as the first Black Republican elected governor in the United States.
The 48-year-old congressman defeated Democratic nominee David Jolly, a former Republican congressman and attorney, in a race decided by an exceptionally slim margin.
The Associated Press called the contest shortly after 9 p.m. Eastern time. With 98 percent of the vote counted, Donalds held 50 percent to Jolly’s 49 percent.
The result was far tighter than expected, keeping Republicans on edge throughout Tuesday night. Florida had backed Trump by 13 percentage points just two years earlier.
Donalds outspent Jolly by roughly seven to one and raised more than $140 million. Even so, a race once viewed as secure tightened during the final weeks as voters voiced frustration over the economy, higher costs and the expansion of data centers.
The campaign to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis became a test of Donald Trump’s influence in his adopted home state, where the president is registered to vote in Palm Beach County.
DeSantis remained neutral during the Republican primary, in which his own lieutenant governor challenged Donalds. He endorsed Donalds only after the congressman secured the nomination.
Trump endorsed Donalds more than 18 months before Election Day, but the president’s support may ultimately have become a liability as voters across the country signaled dissatisfaction with his policies.
Democrats gained seats in both the House and Senate in Tuesday’s contests, with results nationwide reflecting growing unease over the Trump administration’s agenda.
Congressman Byron Donalds defeated Democratic rival David Jolly to become the first Black governor in Florida history
Donalds celebrated his victory Tuesday night with his wife, Erika
The couple embraced after the congressman secured his narrowly decided victory
Trump campaigned alongside Donalds at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers on October 23, then returned to Daytona Beach on October 30 for a second rally within a week.
Donalds also secured endorsements from DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott, bringing together a Florida Republican Party that had often been divided between the governor and the president.
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Jolly represented a Tampa Bay-area congressional district as a Republican before leaving the party and emerging as one of Trump’s most vocal critics. He later entered the governor’s race as a Democrat, choosing former congresswoman Gwen Graham as his running mate.
Jolly won the Democratic nomination on August 18, the same night Donalds defeated Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and several other candidates to claim the Republican nomination.
Former President Barack Obama endorsed Jolly in the campaign’s final stretch, describing him as “independent minded,” while former President Bill Clinton campaigned for him in South Florida.
Donalds overwhelmed Jolly financially, raising nearly $150 million compared with approximately $22 million for his opponent. According to OpenSecrets, he entered the final weeks with a $33 million cash advantage.
Democrat David Jolly, right, campaigned with former President Bill Clinton before Election Day
Donalds ran as Donald Trump’s preferred candidate, but the president’s backing ultimately proved a burden for his campaign
Florida Republicans tracked the vote closely as the candidates were separated by just over 1 percentage point
Both men campaigned on affordability, while Jolly also hit Donalds over data centers, vowing a moratorium on new construction.
The final polls had Donalds ahead but far from safe, with New York Times/Siena showing him up 48 to 44 and St. Pete Polls putting him up just 48 to 46.
That was a dramatic tightening from four years ago, when DeSantis crushed Charlie Crist by more than 19 points.
Holding Florida gives Trump a loyal ally running the nation’s third-largest state as Republicans look ahead to 2028.
Republicans will point to Florida as proof that the red wall held even as the national map turned against them.
Democrats have not won the Florida governorship since Lawton Chiles in 1994.