Donalds Beats Collins, Fishback, for FL GOP Governor Nom
The American Conservative · R · trust 57/100
State of the Union: Byron Donalds will face Democrat David Jolly in November.
Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player... Congressman Byron Donalds won the Republican nomination for Florida governor Tuesday. Donalds, who currently represents Florida’s 19th congressional district, had been widely favored to win the GOP primary, especially after securing the endorsement of President Donald Trump earlier this year. He will face Democratic nominee David Jolly in the general election on November 3.
Donalds defeated Jay Collins, Florida’s current lieutenant governor, and James Fishback, an investment firm founder and first-time political candidate. Donalds received around 48 percent of the vote, compared to 25 percent for Collins and 10 percent for Fishback.
The Florida primary had attracted considerable media attention, both because of the state’s outsize political importance and because of the bitterness with which the contest was fought. Fishback’s hard right, insurgent bid was the subject of particular controversy, with his attacks on Donalds drawing accusations of racism (Fishback’s campaign also emphasized immigration restrictionism, criticism of Israel, and opposition to data centers and AI surveillance).
Given Florida’s solidly Republican electorate, Donalds is considered the front-runner against Jolly—an attorney and former congressman—in the general election. The winner will succeed current Governor Ron DeSantis, who is barred by the state’s constitution from seeking a third consecutive term.
Luke Nicastro is a senior editor at The American Conservative. Before joining the magazine, he spent nearly a decade working on defense and foreign policy in both government and industry, most recently as National Security Advisor to U.S. Senator Josh Hawley. He has also worked at the Congressional Research Service, the Department of the Navy, the National Defense University, and several defense contractors.
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