Trump-Backed Byron Donalds Wins Florida, Becomes First Black Governor

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds has won the race for Florida governor, defeating Democrat David Jolly, NBC News projected Tuesday night. CBS News and ABC News also projected Donalds the winner, giving President Donald Trump and the GOP one of the clearest wins of an otherwise tough election night.

Donalds will become Florida’s first Black governor when he is sworn in next year, according to NBC News. CBS News reported that he would also be the first Black Republican elected governor anywhere in U.S. history, noting that only three Black governors have previously been elected nationwide, all of them Democrats.

PROJECTED WINNER: BYRON DONALDS WINS FLORIDA GOVERNOR’S RACE

More good news out of Florida: @SteveCortes reports Byron Donalds is the projected winner for governor.

The call follows Ashley Moody’s projected victory in Florida’s U.S. Senate race.

“Byron Donalds — winner in… pic.twitter.com/A3ajaWAGYx

— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) November 4, 2026

The win extends the Republican Party’s nearly three-decade run in Florida’s Governor’s Mansion, NBC News reported. CBS News said Donalds will succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, in January 2027.

Trump’s early pick delivers

Trump endorsed Donalds early in the race, and Donalds was widely considered the favorite, according to NBC News. The network reported that Donalds raised about $130 million, giving him a huge financial advantage in a state that has not elected a Democratic governor since 1994.

Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties to run as a Democrat, kept the race closer than the last governor’s contest, which DeSantis won by more than 20 points, NBC News reported. But the network said Jolly was outmatched and unable to secure much help from national Democratic groups, which it said have largely abandoned Florida over the past few election cycles.

Real America’s Voice reported the call in a post on X and said it followed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody’s projected victory in Florida’s U.S. Senate race, meaning the state’s two marquee statewide contests both went to Republicans.

A bright spot on a mixed night

Florida’s result stands out against a tougher national picture for the GOP. ABC News’ live results Tuesday night showed Republican Senate candidates trailing in several closely watched races, including Ohio, Texas and Maine, with large shares of the vote still to be counted. Democrats were projected earlier in the evening to hold Georgia’s Senate seat and flip North Carolina’s, according to network projections.

For conservatives, the Donalds win offers a clear sign that Trump’s endorsement still carries weight in his adopted home state, which has shifted sharply to the right over the past decade. It also gives Republicans a nationally prominent new governor heading into the 2028 cycle.

Final vote totals were still being counted late Tuesday. Daily Beltway will update this story as official results come in.

Sources

• NBC News: Donalds defeats Jolly, becoming Florida’s first Black governor
• CBS Miami: Donalds wins Florida governor’s race
• ABC News: Election 2026 live results
• Real America’s Voice on X

Reporting by Daily Beltway.