Donalds, who billed campaign as ‘a continuation of the DeSantis-era of success’, becomes state’s first black governor

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Republican Byron Donalds will be the next governor of Florida, and its first Black leader, after defeating Democrat David Jolly in one of the country’s most-watched midterm races.

Donalds was endorsed by Donald Trump and appeared twice with the president at rallies in the campaign’s closing days despite previously appearing to distance himself. He will succeed Ron DeSantis, the former presidential candidate who will be termed out of office in January.

Moody is elected over Nixon in a contest seen as a measure of whether the state remains reliably Republican

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Ashley Moody fended off a challenge from Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist, to win Florida’s special election and retain her seat in the US Senate.

It was the first election win for the Republican, who was appointed by Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis in January 2025, when Marco Rubio became US secretary of state. Moody will serve the remainder of his term until the 2028 election.