{"id":6903,"date":"2026-08-19T07:06:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T07:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6903"},"modified":"2026-08-19T07:06:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T07:06:20","slug":"gop-rep-byron-donalds-former-republican-david-jolly-to-face-off-in-florida-governor-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6903","title":{"rendered":"GOP Rep. Byron Donalds, former Republican David Jolly to face off in Florida governor race"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rep. Byron Donalds and former Rep. David Jolly could have been colleagues on Capitol Hill. <\/p>\n

Read more Primary elections 2026 live updates:\u00a0Byron Donalds makes no mention of Trump in victory speech\u00a0after winning Florida GOP gov race<\/a><\/p>\n

But come November, they will be rivals striving to become Florida\u2019s next governor. <\/p>\n

Donalds, endorsed by President Trump, cruised to victory over 10 other opponents with 47.8% of the vote in Tuesday\u2019s Republican gubernatorial primary, nearly doubling up Sunshine State Lt. Gov. Jay Collins (25.2%), while far-right former investor James Fishback (10.5%) and former state House Speaker Paul Renner (8.5%) battled to finish a distant third.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe primary is over,\u201d Donalds, 47, told supporters at a Universal Studios resort hotel in Orlando. \u201cTonight we put aside our differences. Tonight we are one united Republican Party.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three-term congressman was always the big favorite to win the GOP nomination, running more than 30 percentage points ahead of his challengers in the polls since October, according to the RealClearPolitics average.<\/p>\n

Term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis notably did not endorse any of the candidates in the GOP race to replace him \u2014 not even his lieutenant governor, Collins.<\/p>\n

\u201cI congratulate Byron Donalds on his victory,\u201d Collins wrote on X after thanking his campaign staff, \u201cand vow to continue fighting like hell to ensure we remain the free state of Florida in November.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his victory speech, Donalds vowed to tackle government spending, vowing to \u201cDOGE all local governments and all state agencies\u201d while promising \u201cthere will be no sacred cows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTaxpayers deserve to know their hard-earned dollars are being spent with transparency and hard-earned integrity,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cLiberal David Jolly is the change that Florida cannot afford.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the latest coverage on the Aug. 18 midterm primary elections<\/h2>\n