Trending
Prev Story
Next Story

Florida Republicans fend off Democrats as state elects first black governor

BBC News •
November 04, 2026 • 05:02 AM
1
1 reads 0 reactions

Republican Byron Donalds, who was backed by President Donald Trump, will be the first black governor of Florida.

1 / 4
Swipe Photos

Republican candidates in Florida have held off several high-profile challenges from Democrats, as results also saw the state elect its first black governor.

Republican Byron Donalds, backed by President Donald Trump, was projected to win as governor, while Republican Ashley Moody was projected to have held her seat in the senate.

She was up against Democrat Angie Nixon in the special election for Secretary of State Marco Rubio's old Senate seat.

The two wins came amid countless - and historic - gains by Democrats that gave them full control of the US House of Representatives and the Senate for the last years of Trump's presidency.

Nixon scored a surprise win in the Democratic primary to become her party's standard-bearer, although her campaign funding could not match Moody's.

Donalds had served in Congress since 2021 before running for governor, to replace long-serving Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who was term limited and could not run again.

A big supporter of Trump, Donalds was at one point on the short list to be his running mate in 2024.

Born in Brooklyn, he moved to Florida for university and became a fixture in local politics before running for Congress.

Democrats in the state had some surprise wins, too. Republicans in Florida had helped redraw political voting maps as part of a national redistricting push to boost each political party's chances of taking seats in the House.

But in all three districts that were redrawn to help Republicans, Democrats held onto their seats.

Prev Swipe Story Next

Same Story from Other Publications

Compare how 5 other independent news outlets reported on this story.

5 Publications
The Guardian
2h ago
Jimmy Kimmel on Trump accusing Democrats of wrongdoing: ‘His mantra is corruption’

Jimmy Kimmel on Trump accusing Democrats of wrongdoing: ‘His mantra is corruption’

Late-night hosts poked fun at the president taking JD Vance off Iran duty to sniff out corruption while expressing annoyance at Democrats for failing to impeach Pete Hegseth

#trump #democrats
Compare →
NPR News
19h ago
Cindy Holscher wins in Kansas, holding governor's office for Democrats

Cindy Holscher wins in Kansas, holding governor's office for Democrats

Holscher, a state senator, overcame a more well-known Republican who had Trump's endorsement in the state that has gone to the GOP in most other statewide races.

#trump #democrats
Compare →
CNN International
2h ago
Live updates: Democrats gear up to take over Congress amid Senate leadership showdown | CNN Politics

Live updates: Democrats gear up to take over Congress amid Senate leadership showdown | CNN Politics

We’re tracking speeches from potential 2028 presidential contenders at a high-profile Democratic conference in Denver. Follow for the latest updates.

#democrats
Compare →
Al Jazeera English
3h ago
Will Democrats try to strip US-Israel initiative from Pentagon funding?

Will Democrats try to strip US-Israel initiative from Pentagon funding?

Midterm gains give party room to overhaul NDAA funding, including provision to integrate US-Israeli military industries.

#democrats
Compare →
TechCrunch
19h ago
Democrats launch Nvidia investigation, write scathing letter on Huang's 'scheme' with Trump | TechCrunch

Democrats launch Nvidia investigation, write scathing letter on Huang's 'scheme' with Trump | TechCrunch

This Congressional investigation into Nvidia's China sales and its dealings with Trump is the second one, so far, since news of the alleged spy affair broke.

#trump #democrats
Compare →

Related Stories

Politics & Governance
Build #2611