Byron Donalds has been elected governor of Florida, becoming the first Black Republican ever elected to the post in the state's history. The 48-year-old congressman secured an exceptionally close win, defeating Democratic challenger David Jolly, a former Republican congressman and attorney.
The Associated Press called the race just after 9 p.m. Eastern time. Donalds held 50 percent to Jolly's 49 percent with 98 percent of the vote counted. The contest was far tighter than anticipated, leaving Republicans on edge for much of election night, despite Donalds' considerable spending advantage.
Donalds outspent Jolly by approximately a 7-to-1 margin, raising more than $140 million. However, the race tightened in the final weeks as voters expressed dissatisfaction with the economy and rising costs. The race to succeed term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis was seen as a test of former President Donald Trump's influence in the state, where he votes.
Trump had endorsed Donalds more than a year and a half prior to the election and held two rallies for him in Florida in late October. Donalds also received endorsements from Governor DeSantis, who had remained neutral in the primary, and Senator Rick Scott, unifying the state's Republican Party.
Jolly, who previously represented a Tampa Bay district in Congress as a Republican, had left the party and become a vocal critic of Trump before running as a Democrat. He received endorsements from former President Bill Clinton and former President Barack Obama.
Both candidates campaigned on affordability, with Jolly also targeting Donalds over data centers and vowing a moratorium on new construction. Final polls showed Donalds with a narrow lead, a significant shift from four years prior when DeSantis won by more than 19 points.
Donalds' victory in Florida, the nation's third-largest state, gives Trump a loyal ally in a key political battleground as Republicans look ahead to future elections. Democrats have not won the Florida governorship since 1994.