Republican voters in the Florida primaries backed the candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump, Byron Donalds, to be the party's candidate in the race to succeed Ron DeSantis as governor of the state.
Donalds, a congressman representing southwest Florida since 2021, dominated the primary, garnering nearly 50% of the votes, defeating DeSantis's chosen lieutenant governor, Jay Collins, and Nazi candidate James Fishback.
Donalds is expected to win the general elections in November and become the new governor of the southern state, the heart of the MAGA movement and Trump's residence. He will face attorney David Jolly, who secured the Democratic Party nomination.
Republican voters ignored DeSantis's recommendation and categorically rejected Collins's credentials, a veteran of the army's special forces who accused Donalds of being part of the Washington elite. Instead, they favored the Trump-aligned congressman, who has shown commitment to implementing the MAGA agenda in the territory and lowering property taxes and insurance costs.
On the opposing side, Jolly easily prevailed over another five Democrats, including state representative Dotie Joseph and Dayna Marie Foster, a teacher who had the support of the radical left wing of Florida. No Democrat has won a gubernatorial election in Florida since 1994; and no Democrat has won a statewide election in Florida since Nikki Fried was elected as commissioner in 2018.
A campaign that deserves mention for its poor result — as it did not even reach 10% of the votes in the official primary — is that of James Fishback, an investor backed by the "groyper" movement led by Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes, who hoped to snatch the nomination from Donalds.
