Florida Republicans have picked their candidate to keep the governor's mansion in GOP hands: U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who cruised to victory in Tuesday's primary and now stands one general election away from becoming the state's first Black governor.

Donalds, a Naples-area congressman and prominent member of the House Freedom Caucus, took roughly 48 percent of the vote in a field of four major candidates, according to CBS News. He beat Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who finished a distant second near 25 percent, along with hedge-fund investor and online provocateur James Fishback and former House Speaker Paul Renner.

On the Democratic side, former Congressman David Jolly — a Republican-turned-Democrat making his second bid for statewide office — won his own primary after his most serious rival, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, suspended his campaign following a cancer diagnosis. Jolly also fended off former state Rep. Dottie Joseph, per NBC News.

A Trump-anointed favorite

President Trump endorsed Donalds back in May, and the congressman leaned hard on that backing throughout a campaign that raised close to $100 million. Speaking after his win, Donalds credited the president's support with giving his campaign momentum heading into the fall.

"IT GIVES YOU A GREAT LIFT, A GREAT LIFT IN OUR PARTY, BUT YOU'VE GOT TO GO IN AND PUT IN THE WORK. AND IN MY CAMPAIGN, WE'VE BEEN PUTTING THAT WORK IN EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR 18 MONTHS," Donalds said.

The victory keeps Donalds on track to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won reelection in 2022 by more than 20 points. Republicans have held the Florida governorship continuously since 1994, and the Washington Post's live results coverage notes Donalds enters the general election as the heavy favorite, with Cook Political Report currently rating the race "Solid R."

If elected, Donalds — who is Black — would break a barrier no Republican or Democratic candidate has crossed in Florida's 180-year statehood: the office has never been held by a Black governor. Outlets including TheGrio flagged the milestone on primary night.

What's next

Donalds and Jolly now head into a general election battle that will test whether Florida's decade-long rightward drift holds in the country's third-largest state, or whether Democrats — running a moderate, Republican-turned-Democrat nominee for the second straight cycle — can claw back ground. The race will be closely watched as a bellwether heading into the 2026 midterms, with polls open again in November.