Florida Republicans fend off Democrats as state elects first black governor

Image source, Getty ImagesPublished4 November 2026, 05:02 GMTUpdated 1 hour agoRepublican 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. Image source, ReutersImage caption, US Senator Ashley Moody was appointed to fill Marco Rubio's seatFOLLOW LIVE - Election results and analysis RESULTS - Live US 2026 midterm results as they come in ANALYSIS - Democrats push deep into Republican territory with historic winsNixon 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.GUIDE: What are the US midterms?TOP MOMENTS: Ecstatic scenes and historic moments: What's happened so far in the midtermsEXPLAINED: Why Trump's approval rating matters in the midtermsRelated topicsFloridaUnited StatesUS midterm elections 2026