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President Donald Trump's handpicked successor to Gov. Ron DeSantis cruised to victory in the Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday despite a crowded field that included several Florida heavy hitters.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., a third-term congressman and former Florida state lawmaker, easily defeated his Republican opponents.
Already one of the GOP’s most recognized figures, Donalds’ campaign was further boosted by Trump’s endorsement, which came even before he announced he was running in February 2025.
In second was current Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, a close ally of the governor who explicitly ran on a platform to "protect the DeSantis legacy." While DeSantis did not endorse Collins in the primary to succeed him, Collins emphasized that DeSantis appointed him.
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Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and wife Erika Donalds during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of a primary election in Boca Raton, Fla., Aug. 16, 2026. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
With the GOP nomination secured, Donalds is expected to have a major advantage in the general election as Florida has grown increasingly red over the last decade.
Donalds is running on a platform to "enact the Trump agenda" in Florida, including immigration enforcement, and has placed a heavy emphasis on affordability, deregulation and lower taxes. He has also campaigned on growing Florida’s infrastructure and completing the Everglades restoration.
President Donald Trump and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., during the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee July 15, 2024. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He is a longtime Trump ally, most significantly supporting him over DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Even before announcing his campaign, Trump issued a preemptive endorsement of Donalds in February 2025.
In a social media post, Trump wrote, "Byron Donalds would be a TRULY GREAT and POWERFUL Governor for Florida and, should he run, will have my complete and total endorsement. RUN, BYRON, RUN!"
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Former Republican Rep. David Jolly, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Florida, speaks during the National Action Network 35th Anniversary Convention in New York April 9, 2026. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Donalds will now face David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who left the party in 2018 and is now running for Florida governor as a Democrat. Jolly is also running on an affordability message and has cast the election as "a decision about what Florida becomes next."
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Whichever candidate emerges victorious will succeed DeSantis, a popular two-term governor exiting office because he is term limited.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
