Primary season comes to a close in the Sunshine State as Republicans and Democrats seal their tickets for Governor and other key statewide races.
Governor primary
U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL19) secured the Republican nomination with 47%, defeating his closest opponent, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, and businessman James Fishback. Donalds received President Donald Trump’s endorsement in February of 2025 and had a deep war chest, reporting over $65 million back in June.
Incumbent and term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis declined to endorse anyone in the primary– although he implied that former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner would “make a good governor”. Renner came in fourth with just a little over eight percent of the vote.
On the Democratic side, former U.S. Congressman and Republican-turned-Democrat David Jolly secured the nomination for governor. Jolly, who campaigned on pocketbook issues such as healthcare, defeated progressive candidate Dayna Marie Foster and hopes to return Democrats to the governor’s mansion.
Both Donalds and Jolly look to make history. If elected, Donalds would be the first Black governor in the state’s history, while Jolly would be the first democrat since Lawton Chiles in 1994 to be elected chief executive of the state.
Other statewide races
In other statewide races, the primaries for Attorney General were uncontested– laying the ground for a general matchup between Republican incumbent James Uthmeier and former U.S. Labor Department official and Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez.
For Chief Financial Officer, a position that oversees the state’s Department of Financial Services, Former Democratic State Sen. Annette Taddeo will take on Republican incumbent Blaise Ingoglia in the general election. Meanwhile, Republican incumbent Wilton Simpson is set to take on Democrat Joey Mendoza Atkins for the job of Agricultural Commissioner.
In Florida, the lieutenant governor is selected as a running mate by the gubernatorial nominee and is elected on the same ballot. Jolly selected Gwen Graham, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and daughter of late former governor Bob Graham, to be his running mate back in June. Donalds has yet to select a running mate at the time of writing.
All of these candidates will be facing off in the general election on November 3. To vote, make sure your voter registration is up to date, and check where you are registered so you know all your voting options.
For more election coverage, check out our stories on federal elections, state legislative elections and local elections.