MS NOW host Symone Sanders Townsend suggested that Florida Republican Byron Donalds, who made history as the state's first Black governor-elect, is not true “kinfolk” to other Black Americans due to his conservative policies. Townsend voiced this opinion on Tuesday, questioning the political significance of Donalds’ victory by stating he would continue the agenda set by outgoing Governor Ron DeSantis.
“I will say, though, you know, as they say in my community, all kinfolk ain’t skinfolk,” Sanders Townsend said, appearing to mean the phrase in reverse. “And what I say and what I mean by that is Byron Donalds is making history, but he is going to continue the political direction that Ron DeSantis is going to continue in Florida.”
Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of NewsBusters, criticized Townsend’s remarks, telling Fox News Digital that she was implying Black conservatives’ political beliefs are at odds with their racial identity. “Symone Sanders is trying to argue that Blackness and conservatism are polar opposites or that being a Black conservative is being a traitor to your race,” Graham stated. He added that Townsend suggested Donalds would perpetuate an allegedly anti-Black agenda initiated by DeSantis.
Graham compared the situation to the treatment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas during his 1991 confirmation hearings, which Thomas described as a “high-tech lynching.” According to Graham, Townsend’s comments implied a demand for political conformity among Black Americans.
Sanders Townsend acknowledged the historic nature of Donalds's election, noting it was the first time Florida had elected a Black governor. However, she pivoted to his policy positions, suggesting they were similar to DeSantis’s, after Donalds appeared on "The Breakfast Club" earlier that day.
Donalds previously addressed criticism regarding his personal life after Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, made remarks about his marriage to a White woman. Speaking on “The Joe Pags Show,” Donalds stated, “Here’s what I’m going to say, first and foremost: Don’t talk about my wife. Keep my wife out of this. It ain’t got nothing to do with her.”
Donalds secured a narrow victory over Democrat David Jolly in the gubernatorial race. His win was noted as a rare success for Republicans on Tuesday, a night largely dominated by Democratic gains in other races across the country. Fox News Digital reached out to Donalds for comment but had not received an immediate response.
