‘Florida is still red’: Byron Donalds sends message to Trump after historic governor race win

Republican Byron Donalds thanked President Donald Trump after defeating Democrat David Jolly, becoming Florida’s first Black governor. Republican Rep. Byron Donalds delivered a message to President Donald Trump after securing a historic victory in Florida’s governor’s race on Tuesday. He declared that the state remains firmly behind the Republican Party.Republican Byron Donalds thanked President Donald Trump after defeating Democrat David Jolly, becoming Florida’s first Black governor. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) (AP)“Mr. President, I want you to hear from Florida that we are still red,” Donalds told supporters during his victory speech in South Florida.Donalds, a close Trump ally, defeated Democrat David Jolly in a competitive race on Tuesday, becoming Florida’s first elected Black governor. He will succeed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is leaving office after two terms.Deep DiveDonalds thanked Trump for backing his campaign and said the president was among the first people to contact him after his victory. “Mr. President, I also want to tell you thank you for your support and thank you for being in my corner.”Donalds also said that Trump was the second person who called Byron after his victory.Also read: Check live coverage of the 2026 US Midterms here.Win strengthens GOP hold over FloridaThe race presented a test of whether Trump’s unpopularity, which has dragged down Republicans across the U.S., would extend to his backyard and endanger an office in Florida that a Democrat hasn’t won in more than 30 years.The congressman defeated Jolly, a former Republican lawmaker who left the party and ran as a centrist Democrat. Jolly attempted to capitalise on voter concerns about rising costs, including high housing prices and homeowners’ insurance rates.Florida has faced growing concerns over insurance costs due to repeated hurricanes and climate-related risks. The issue became a major focus during the governor’s race.Donalds campaigned as a continuation of Florida’s conservative direction under DeSantis. He positioned Jolly as too liberal for the state while seeking support from traditionally Democratic voting groups, including Black voters.In his victory speech, Donalds praised DeSantis’ leadership over the past eight years and said he would continue building on his administration’s policies.He vowed to keep Florida “the very best state in America” while maintaining the Republican agenda that has shaped the state during DeSantis’ time in office.Also read: Suhas Subramanyam to Pia Dandiya: How Indian-Americans are faring in US midterm electionsFlorida remains Republican strongholdDonalds’ win comes after Florida transformed from a competitive battleground state into one of the Republican Party’s strongest bases.DeSantis won re-election in 2022 by nearly 20 points after narrowly winning his first race in 2018. During his administration, he pushed conservative policies on education, gender issues, immigration and other cultural debates.Donalds maintained a steady confidence throughout the campaign, balancing his support for Trump with efforts to create some distance, including minimizing references to the president on his website.Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More