U.S. Rep Byron Donalds won the Republican gubernatorial nomination with the first tallies of the night, dominating in early in-person and vote-by-mail ballots.
With nearly 1.4 million votes counted, Donalds captured 49% of the electorate. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins followed with 25%, conservative firebrand James Fishback had 10% and former House Speaker Paul Renner trailed with 8%.
The Associated Press called Donalds the winner shortly after 8 p.m. ET, the time all the polls closed in the state.
Donalds raised $111 million and most political analysts gave him the race months ago. His competitors combined raised just shy of $18 million — more than 6 to 1 advantage.
The Fort Myers Republican bought a $2 million ad buy for the general election to run Wednesday through Monday, according to news reports. The ads will focus on affordability, wedding the candidate to Amendment 3, the property tax initiative.
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President Donald Trump’s historically low approval ratings didn’t hurt the frontrunner. Trump endorsed Donalds, who is aiming to become Florida’s first Black governor. Renner, Collins and Fishback tried to paint themselves as the heir to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ legacy.
Donalds will face Democrat David Jolly, who also cruised to a primary victory, in November’s general election.With the majority of the polls closed in the Florida Republican primary for governor race, U.S. Rep Byron Donalds and his massive war chest will soon find out if he is moving on to the general election in November.
A Democrat hasn’t won the gubernatorial seat since 1994, when Lawton Chiles won. The primary winner will likely face David Jolly, a Republican-turned-Democrat, running as a centrist and hoping to capitalize on anti-incumbent, anti-President Trump sentiment among the electorate. Trump has endorsed Donalds.
Despite an adorned frontrunner, there has been plenty of drama in this primary. The state GOP set the bar so high that no other candidate but Donalds could qualify for a debate. Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized the lack of debates and has refused to make an official endorsement, though he came close with Renner. The two-term governor’s administration also has ties to Fishback, who critics say uses racist dog whistles and promotes antisemitism.
Donalds is trying to become Florida’s first Black governor.
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Businessman James Fishback, 31, is still making noise in the stretch run, racking up 50 stops in four days. “We are going to win,” he said.
This summer, Fishback showed up at a Donalds’ appearance and called him “a slave” through a megaphone while his supporters mobbed the frontrunner. “We made history by being the first campaign in Florida history to host town halls in all 67 counties,” he said.
Fishback urged supporters of Collins and Renner to get behind his campaign during the weekend. He appeared at a packed Stuart diner at 1:15 a.m. Reflecting his bro-centric campaign, only one woman appeared in the video posted by a supporter on the social media site X.
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Renner’s campaign has been hustling for votes on X, responding to individuals directly. “If you love the Florida you’ve lived in under Gov. DeSantis, you’ll love me,” Renner told one woman who asked which Republican to vote for.
On Friday, Renner entered the race attacking Donalds, casting himself as the true heir of the DeSantis legacy. DeSantis said in early August he thought Renner would make a good governor.
“Governor DeSantis made the contrast clear: Byron Donalds wasn’t part of the victories that made Florida the Free State. I was,” Renner said in a social media ad.
Collins is also trying to paint himself as the best candidate to continue DeSantis’ agenda. He emphasized his military service as a Green Beret and his current role as lieutenant governor throughout the campaign. “I don’t have to talk about leading the state of Florida, I am already,” he told WKMG News 6 in Orlando.
The lieutenant governor won the straw poll in Polk County last week. “Florida voters have spoken and made clear that Jay Collins is their choice to carry on Governor DeSantis’ legacy and lead Florida forward,” he said.
John Pacenti is the Government Impact Reporter for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Byron Donalds wins GOP gubernatorial nomination
Reporting by John Pacenti, USA TODAY NETWORK Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By John Pacenti, USA TODAY NETWORK Florida | USA TODAY Network
