Naples Congressman Byron Donalds on Tuesday handily won the Republican nomination to succeed Ron DeSantis as Florida governor.
Facing 10 other Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, Donalds won with 47.8% of the votes counted on election night, roughly mirroring the results of months of polling ahead of the primary.
He will go on to face the Democratic nominee in the race, David Jolly, in the general election on Nov. 3.
A huge celebration
Speaking before a crowd of hundreds of backers, state and federal colleagues, lawmakers and power brokers in an exclusive event at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando, Donalds struck a tone of confidence that his primary victory cleared the party’s path to victory in November.
“Tonight, the primary is over. Tonight, we put aside our differences. Tonight, we are one united Republican Party,” said Donalds, as cheers erupted through the crowd.
He vowed to continue the Republican leadership that has defined Florida for the better part of two decades.
“In Florida, we have built a strong foundation under former Governor Rick Scott. And under Governor Ron DeSantis, we have supercharged that foundation, making Florida the envy of every state in America,” Donalds said. “We are going to continue that legacy and take Florida to the next level.”
Continuing legacy
As part of his platform to preserve the “Florida Dream” by making the state “accountable, achievable, and, most of all, affordable,” Donalds promised to aggressively pursue cuts to government spending at the state and local level, referencing President Donald Trump’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency.
“We are going to DOGE all local governments and all state agencies,” Donalds said, to cheers. “There will be no sacred cows.”
Another DeSantis priority — reducing housing costs for homeowners — would be a key part of Donald’s policy platform.
“Whether Amendment 3 passes or fails, we are going to reform property taxes in our state with the goal of eliminating homestead property taxes once and for all,” referencing the ballot measure that will appear before voters in November to increase the homestead property tax exemption to $250,000 by 2028.
“And if the math can't take us there, we will target that relief to our seniors on fixed income, and our working families who want Florida to remain their home,” Donalds continued. He added that any proposal “will not jeopardize funding for our police, firefighters, and first responders” — groups that have raised alarms in recent months over service cuts under those changes.
The conclusion of his remarks after about 25 minutes was met with some confusion as a handful, perhaps two, of confetti fluttered in front of the stage — until the full salvo blasted. The crowd cheered, and the speakers blared “My Time is Now,” John Cena’s ubiquitous WWE entrance song.
A wide field
Despite the wide field of candidates for governor — the widest of any statewide race — DeSantis, who is ineligible to run again after serving two terms, repeatedly refrained from endorsing a candidate in the primary, including his own lieutenant governor.
Two weeks ago DeSantis said Renner “would be a great choice” for governor, though he stopped short of endorsing him.
But attendees on Tuesday said Donalds’ victory was completely expected.
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, who won his own Republican primary on Tuesday night, said he “absolutely” expected Donalds to prevail.
“Look, Byron's a great friend of mine,” Fine said. “I've seen him in the Legislature, and I've seen him in Congress. And he can bring those federal and state issues together in a way few people can't. He'll be an amazing governor.”
Bob Rommel, a former state lawmaker from Naples, agreed.
“We all look at polling. You know, he had the support of President Trump, he raised the most money, he served in the Florida House for four years, he served in Congress for five years,” Rommel said. “He's a great conservative, and he understands the needs of Floridians.”
Momentum
Donalds, who is finishing his third term, has built up a colossal war chest. The Donalds campaign had raised $13.7 million as of primary day, according to state financial records.
But his political action committee, which is subject to far fewer donation limits, has raised nearly $100 million, putting him an order of magnitude ahead of Democratic nominee David Jolly.
That will give him huge momentum as he prepares to face off against Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who changed his political affiliation while in office.
Jolly had raised barely a tenth as much money as Donalds on primary night.
