Erika Donalds, Florida Governor-elect Byron Donalds and Lt. Gov-elect Bryan Avila celebrate victory (Photo courtesy of Facebook).

By David L. Snelling
South Florida Times

MIAMI – U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds has made history as the first Black governor of Florida, overcoming racial barriers to become the state’s top official in one of the most contentious 2026 political races in America.

In another high-stakes race during the November 3, 2026, midterm elections, Angie Nixon’s bid to become the first Black U.S. senator in Florida fell short, narrowly losing to incumbent Republican Senator Ashley Moody.

Buoyed by President Donald Trump and outgoing Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsements, Donalds picked up 50 percent of the vote over Democratic rival David Jolly’s 48 percent.

Moody, who was also endorsed by Trump, picked up 50.8 percent of the vote to Nixon’s 48.1 percent.

Trump won Florida by 12 points over Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.

Donalds and Moody won despite Trump’s low approval rating, the Iran war which is driving up gas and oil prices, inflation, Florida’s affordability crisis and immigration.

Donalds and Jolly sparred since they won their parties primary in August over issues at the center of the race including affordability, healthcare, homeowner’s insurance, AI and data centers, and the best candidate to pull Florida out of its slump.

Jolly was seeking to end a drought by Democrats by becoming the first Democratic governor since Lawton Chiles in over 30 years.

His focus was changing the political landscape after criticizing Republicans for enriching themselves while Florida residents are struggling to make ends meet.

But Donalds prevailed and said the first phone call he received was from Jolly.
“I congratulated him on a hard-fought race,” Jolly said during his victory speech at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood. “We both agreed that people in our state are struggling. People are looking at their insurance bill, people are looking at their bank accounts figuring how to make ends meet. My mission as governor is building a great life for all people in the state of Florida.”

Donalds’ second phone call he received was from Trump.
“I want President Trump to hear from Florida that we are still red,” Donalds said. “Thank you for your support and being my corner.”

Over eight million people in Florida voted in the midterm elections.

Florida has 5.6 million registered Republican voters and 4,066,503 Democrats, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

Democrats were seeking independent and non-party affiliation voters in an effort to flip seats and end the GOP dominance by Trump and his allies.

With immigration the center of the governor’s race with Trump’s massive illegal immigration deportation operation, Donalds chose state Senator Bryan Avila (R-Hialeah) as his running mate to pick up Hispanic votes.

Donalds’ campaign was well received in Hialeah and the City of Miami, which constitutes the largest Hispanic populations in Florida, as thousands turned out for the political rallies.

U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Miami) joined Donalds and Avila on stage to encourage voters to cast their ballots for the GOP candidates.

Gimenez praised Donalds as “the present and future of the Republican Party” and described him as a conservative leader capable of uniting Republicans.

Gimenez also emphasized Donalds’ leadership qualities and his importance to the Republican Party.
“He’s the conservative leader we need to unite us as Republicans and expand our majority come November, ” Gimenez said.

At his campaign headquarters in Tampa, Florida, Jolly was joined by his wife Laura, as they thanked supporters for standing with them during an 18 long month campaign.
“We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and we are grateful for what you have done for the last 18 months,” said Jolly, a former U.S. Rep. who switched parties. “Tonight is a big night because of what is happening in this country. America is exercising Democracy.”

Jolly added: “There is something special tonight. Yes, we have lost this election, but we have not lost the fight in any of us. You believed 18 months ago and tonight you still believe that it is possible, that we can build a coalition that can break through the money and interest in our politics. The reason eyes are on Florida is because something special has happened in this state.”

Donalds outraised Jolly $103 million to $5.3 million in campaign contributions.

Moody, who was appointed by DeSantis to replace Marco Rubio who became Secretary of State, said she was overwhelmed by the support for her campaign.
“Throughout this campaign, the election came down to freedom and socialism,” Moody said during her victory speech while flanked by her family. “Well, Florda chose Freedom. We would not be here without you tonight. All states say they have the best states, but I love Florida and people who moved from other states love Florida. We knew what we were fighting for and we did it.”

On the campaign trail, Moody repeatedly sidestepped reporters and voters’ questions over the Hope Florida Foundation scandal in which $10 million of a $67 million Medicare settlement was diverted to fund a political campaign tied to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier, primarily to fight the 2024 recreational marijuana Amendment 3 in 2024.

Moody, at the time, was the Attorney General who signed off on moving the fund into the political action committees’ campaign account and Uthmeire was DeSantis’ chief of staff.

The issue got so pressing that DeSantis and Uthmeire threatened to prosecute television stations running campaign ads on the scandal after a grand jury report found probable cause for criminal activity.

Nixon was seeking to pull off another upset like she did in the Democratic primary when she defeated Alex Vindman, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, despite being outspend 16-1.

Vindman, who raised $16.3 million, is best known for his 2019 testimony in the Trump–Ukraine impeachment inquiry, where he served as Director of European Affairs on the National Security Council.

However, the comments Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, made in an interview with CBS News about dictatorship in Cuba might have impacted Hispanic voters.

She was asked if Cuba is a dictatorship.
Nixon: “That is what people have told me. I have never been to Cuba, so I would have to take their word for it.”

Cuban Americans criticized her including Democratic U.S. Congress candidate Elliot Rodriguez who was in a tight race against incumbent Maria Elvaria Salazer.

In her concession speech in her hometown in Jacksonville, Florida, Nixon, a former state representative, thanked her family and supporters for a hard-fought campaign and hasn’t ruled out running again in two years.

Moody will serve out the remaining two-year term of Rubio and faces reelection in 2028.
“To Jacksonville, you raised me and taught me when things get tough you don’t run away from a fight,” Nixon said. “It was a fight.”

Nixon said her work is not finished.

She said she will push politicians to make Florida affordable, which was the centerpiece of her campaign.
“Families struggling can’t wait for the next election,” she said “They can’t wait for Washington to decide working families matter. A mother working needs affordable child care, teachers deserve a living wage, a family sitting around the kitchen table is figuring out how to pay their rent, insurance and healthcare. Struggling people still need someone to fight for them.”

In other races, former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, a Democrat, defeated Republican candidate Te Mayonna Brown for Congressional District 24 with 82 percent of the vote.

Retiring U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson represented the district since 2011 and endorsed Gilbert during the Democratic primary to succeed her.

For Miami-Dade County School Board District 1 race, classroom teacher and political novice Linda Cothiere beat former Miami Gardens City Council Member Katrina Wilson with 38 percent of the vote in a run-off election.

Cothiere replaces Dr. Steve Gallon who stepped down and won a seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission unopposed.

For Palm Beach County School Board, Christina Romelus defeated Daniel Zapata in a run-off to replace District 4 School Board Member Erica Whitfield, who won a County Commission seat in August after three terms on the School Board.

Romelus is a former Boynton Beach Commissioner who now runs the government affairs and leadership training firm PolitiCALM.

Zapata is an educator at Atlantic Christian Academy, a private school in West Palm Beach, where he teaches Spanish, government and economics.

For Amendment 3, 62 percent of Florida voters approved property tax relief, which expands Florida’s homestead exemption for non-school property taxes, beginning with up to the first $150,000 of a home’s value in 2027 and increasing to up to $250,000 in 2028, with future adjustments for inflation.

Local governments now must brace for millions of dollars in tax revenue loss.