Byron Donalds Wins Florida Governor's Race, Defeats David Jolly

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds won Florida's governor's race Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Democrat David Jolly and extending the Republican Party's nearly three-decade hold on the Governor's Mansion. Donalds received 4,124,944 votes, or 50.05%, compared with 4,012,656 votes, or 48.69%, for Jolly, according to unofficial Florida Division of Elections results available at approximately 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Associated Press called the race for Donalds, and NBC News also projected him as the winner.

Donalds led Jolly by 112,288 votes statewide, a margin of approximately 1.4 percentage points, with 5,621 of Florida's 5,626 precincts reporting. The unofficial results showed 8,242,015 votes cast in the governor's race, including ballots for several minor candidates. The statewide margin was wider than the half-point margin that triggers a machine recount in Florida, although the results remain unofficial until certified.

Donalds makes Florida history

Donalds will become Florida's first Black governor when he takes office in January 2027, succeeding term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. CBS Miami and NBC News reported the historic significance of his election, with CBS Miami also describing Donalds as the first Black Republican governor in U.S. history. His victory continues Republican control of Florida's governorship after nearly three decades in which the party has held the office.

Donalds ran with Republican Bryan Avila, while Jolly's Democratic ticket included Gwen Graham. The statewide totals reported by the Florida Division of Elections reflect votes for the governor and lieutenant governor tickets rather than separate contests for each office. Donalds and Avila finished ahead of Jolly and Graham in the unofficial statewide count.

The governor's race also included Libertarian Scott Eckhard Jewett, who received 37,755 votes, and five no-party candidates whose totals ranged from 7,564 to 23,137 votes each. Minor candidates collectively accounted for approximately 1.3% of the statewide vote, according to the election figures. Donalds finished just above a majority of the votes reported, while Jolly finished at 48.69%.

Jolly wins Duval County despite statewide loss

Duval County voters favored Jolly even as Donalds won the statewide contest, according to unofficial county results from the same Florida Division of Elections reporting period. Jolly received 194,509 votes, or 54.7%, compared with 156,176 votes, or 44.0%, for Donalds. The Democratic ticket finished 38,333 votes ahead in Duval County, where all 159 precincts had reported.

The county recorded 355,356 votes in the governor's race, including votes cast for candidates outside the two major parties. Jolly's advantage in Duval stood in contrast to the statewide result, where Donalds led by more than 112,000 votes. Donalds' statewide lead is what decided the race.

The Duval County results were complete in terms of precincts reporting, while five precincts remained outstanding in the statewide count at approximately 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. The county totals and statewide numbers came from the same unofficial Florida Division of Elections feed. Both sets of figures remain subject to the state's certification process.

Campaign spending and debates

The governor's race featured substantial fundraising by Donalds, who raised approximately $130 million, according to published reports covering the campaign. Those reports also said Jolly declined to debate Donalds, a decision that drew criticism from members of both political parties. The reported fundraising total and debate decision were among the campaign details covered before Tuesday's election result.

The Associated Press and NBC News projected Donalds as the winner as election returns established his statewide lead. News reports from ABC News, NPR, NBC News, Fox 13 and CBS Miami also covered the outcome. One published projection rounded Donalds' statewide share to 50.1%, consistent with the unofficial election feed's more precise figure of 50.05%.

Another statewide result differs from Duval

Duval County voters also considered Florida Amendment 3, the homestead property tax measure, on the same ballot as the governor's race. The amendment received 56.5% support in Duval County, compared with 62.0% statewide, according to the unofficial election results. The amendment's statewide approval and its implications for Jacksonville homeowners are covered separately in Jax Times' Amendment 3 report.

The county's results in the governor's contest and the amendment vote illustrate two different comparisons between Duval County and the state as a whole. Jolly led Donalds in Duval while losing statewide, and Amendment 3 received a higher percentage of yes votes statewide than in Duval. Both comparisons are based on the election figures available Tuesday night rather than certified final results.

What happens next

Donalds is scheduled to succeed DeSantis in January 2027, following a Republican victory that maintains the party's long-running control of Florida's executive branch. The unofficial statewide count put Donalds at 50.05% and Jolly at 48.69%, with a 112,288-vote difference. The Associated Press race call and NBC News projection identified Donalds as the winner, but those projections do not replace official certification.

For Jacksonville voters, the principal local distinction is that Duval County supported Jolly by 38,333 votes while the statewide electorate favored Donalds. All 159 Duval precincts had reported when the figures were recorded at approximately 11:30 p.m. Nov. 3, while statewide reporting stood at 5,621 of 5,626 precincts. The results remain unofficial pending certification by Florida election authorities.