Prior to diving into politics, the Brooklyn native worked in the banking, finance, and insurance industries. Now, Donalds is on a promising path toward becoming Florida’s first Black governor.
Who did Byron Donalds beat in the primary?
Donalds enters with an advantage in November. Republican registration has surged to a 1.5 million voter lead in the last five years over Democrats in Florida.
“Florida is now a red state,” Jewett says. “For years, we were a purple state. We were the most competitive battleground swing state in presidential elections, many other statewide elections, but in the last five years, we have seen a big influx of Republicans.”
Donalds’s challengers included Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Paul Renner, and investment firm CEO James Fishback, along with eight other hopefuls.
Collins positioned himself as a foregone successor to the office, running on a campaign that vowed to preserve the “DeSantis legacy.” But friction within the Office of the Governor painted a different picture, according to Politico, and it grew noticeable when Collins failed to secure his boss’s endorsement.