It was a crowded field of Republican candidates vying for the chance to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis – who is term-limited and unable to run for reelection a third time – but Florida Republicans made a decisive choice Tuesday night: Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19) will be the GOP nominee for governor.
Donalds beat out 10 other candidates to seal the nomination, with preliminary results showing him sitting around 49 percent, compared with 25 percent for Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, 10 percent for James Fishback, and 8 percent for Paul Renner.
Decision Desk HQ projects Byron Donalds wins the Florida Governor Republican Primary#DecisionMade: 8:00 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/VHnTqLOta7
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) August 19, 2026
On the Democrat side, former Republican congressman David Jolly cruised to his party’s nomination, setting up a Donalds-Jolly showdown in November. Jolly represented Florida’s 13th Congressional District as a Republican from 2014 to 2017 before leaving the GOP and eventually joining the Democrat Party in a show of opposition to President Trump.
Tuesday's result could actually be seen as a victory for President Trump, who endorsed Donalds a full five days before Donalds even announced his candidacy back in February of 2025.
Jolly faces an uphill battle in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat governor since Lawton Chiles narrowly beat Jeb Bush in 1994.
Once seen as a swing state, Florida hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide since 2018 when Nikki Fried, the Florida Democratic Party chair, won agriculture commissioner. The last time a Democrat won the Sunshine State at the presidential level was in 2012 under former President Obama.
But it’s been even longer — more than three decades — since Florida’s elected a Democrat as its top executive, when Democrat Lawton Chiles narrowly won a second term against Republican Jeb Bush.
Florida's political landscape has only moved further to the right in the years since. Donalds now heads into the November 3 general election as the Republican nominee in a state where the GOP has dominated statewide politics for years.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
Help RedState continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member