Republican Byron Donalds Wins Florida Governor's Race Over Democrat David Jolly in Close Contest

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, 48, won Florida's governor's race on Tuesday, defeating Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican congressman and attorney, after the Associated Press called the race around 9 p.m. Eastern. With 98 percent of the vote counted, Donalds had 50 percent to Jolly's 49 percent. Earlier, with more than 95 percent counted, his lead was 1.3 percent, or under 102,000 votes. Donalds, backed by President Donald Trump, succeeds term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis. He raised more than $140 million and outspent Jolly roughly 7-to-1. Trump carried Florida by 13 points two years ago. DeSantis stayed neutral in the primary, where his lieutenant governor ran against Donalds, and endorsed him after the nomination. Republican Ashley Moody also held her Senate seat against Democrat Angie Nixon, while Democrats nationally gained control of the House and Senate.

MS NOW, on the left, leads with Donalds having outrun history. It describes him as a conservative successor to DeSantis promising lower property taxes and insurance costs, and says Jolly focused on affordability. The excerpt gives no vote totals. On the right, the Daily Mail frames the result as a scare: it calls the win razor-thin, says Trump's endorsement may have been a weight, and cites voter anger over the economy, rising costs and data centers. Breitbart also calls it a nail-biter but mostly credits DeSantis-era policies, citing Florida's GDP growth, and attacks Jolly over his pandemic-era stance on mandates. Both right-leaning outlets give the margin; the left excerpt emphasizes policy. BBC News adds a distinct angle, covering the Senate race and national Democratic gains, and calls Donalds Florida's first black governor. The Daily Mail instead calls him the first black Republican elected governor in America.