U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds has won the Florida Republican gubernatorial nomination, inching him closer to becoming the state’s first Black governor.
Donalds, a prominent Black Republican backed by President Donald Trump, was the overwhelming favorite among polled Republican voters over his opponents in the race: hedge fund investor James Fishback and Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins. He ultimately won with more than 48% of the vote on Tuesday night, according to the latest polling results, which are still being tallied.
Donalds, a Brooklyn native known for his strong communication skills, emerged as a top national Republican after being unsuccessfully nominated for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives by members of the Republican Caucus. From there, Donalds began using his newfound national microphone to defend Trump during the 2024 presidential election. The 47-year-old, who took office at the beginning of the Biden administration, became a prominent Republican voice trying to convert Black voters, namely Black men, who traditionally vote Democratic, to support Trump’s re-election bid.
Donalds has backed President Trump’s anti-DEI agenda, dismissing the need for diversity and equity policies to close gaps in racial disparities as a “false premise.” He’s also been criticized by Black leaders over controversial statements about race in America, like saying that “the Black family was together” during the Jim Crow era.
Despite the historic nature of Byron Donalds’ gubernatorial campaign, he hasn’t leaned into it. When asked about the significance of potentially being elected Florida’s first Black governor, Donalds told CBS News, “I’m aware of it, but I don’t really focus on it.”
Donalds’ rise is likely a sore spot for Florida Democrats, who almost elected the state’s first Black governor in the 2018 gubernatorial contest between now-Governor Ron DeSantis and Democratic nominee Andrew Gillum. Gillum lost the 2018 election by less than 1% of the vote. While Democrats are often touted for their diversity and massive support among Black voters, Donalds’ candidacy tests the theory of the Republican Party’s inability to elevate with strong Black candidates.
Florida has not elected a Democratic governor since 1994, a positive sign for Donalds in a state where Republicans continue to dominate. However, it won’t come without strong efforts by Democrats, who had their own crop of Black candidates seeking the party’s gubernatorial nomination.
Any win for a Black gubernatorial candidate for either political party would add to what is a historic number of Black gubernatorial nominees, which include Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who is running for re-election, Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, David Crowley in Wisconsin, Jermaine Johnson in South Carolina, and Aaron Ford in Nevada.
But in Florida, Donalds says he’s “not really focused on race as a marker.”
“You know, in Florida, southwest Florida in particular, but Florida overall, we’re a meritocracy. We’re one of the great meritocracies in not just America, but in the world.
“I think it’s not so much about my race,” he explained to CBS. “I think it’s more about the policies I support, the principles I stand for, common-sense conservative policies that have made Florida the envy of the other 49 states in the union.”
