Topline

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., won the Republican primary on Tuesday to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as a crowded field of Republicans vied to replace Donalds in Florida’s 19th District.

Key Facts

Donalds, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, had won around 49% of the vote shortly after the Associated Press called the race.

Donalds was widely expected to win the contest, with most polls showing him leading by double digits.

Donalds will go on to face Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican congressman-turned-independent, in the general election to succeed DeSantis, who is term-limited.

Surprising Fact

DeSantis did not endorse in the race, likely because he would have to choose between Trump’s preferred pick, Donalds, and his lieutenant governor, Jay Collins.

What To Watch For

The race between Jolly and Donalds is expected to be close, according to polls, most of which show Donalds with a slight advantage. He led by seven points in a James Madison Institute poll taken earlier this month. Florida has shifted much more solidly red since DeSantis was elected in 2018, when he won the race by less than one percentage point. He won reelection in 2022 by nearly 20 points. Trump won the state in all three of his presidential general elections.

Tangent

Trump made a last-minute endorsement in the race to succeed Donalds on Tuesday to represent Florida’s 19th Congressional District, urging voters to elect former Trump Commerce Department adviser Catalina Lauf, who ran for Congress in Illinois before moving to Florida. In addition to Lauf, several other candidates who have run for office in other states were on the ballot in the race to succeed Donalds, including Jim Oberweis, who ran against Lauf in Illinois, and Olah Hawatmeh, who ran for Congress in New York. Also on the ballot were former scandal-plagued Reps. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., who pleaded guilty to insider trading-related charges and was later pardoned by Trump, and Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., who lost reelection amid a series of scandals, including twice trying to bring a loaded gun to the airport.

Key Background

Donalds is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and a prominent Trump ally. He worked in banking and finance before he was elected as a Florida state legislator in 2016. He was elected to Congress in 2020 to represent his district covering parts of Ft. Myers and Naples. Donalds was on the short list of Trump vice presidential picks, then ran for House speaker in protest of former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in his historically prolonged election for the speakership.