Florida: Byron Donalds and Ashley Moody win the Republican primaries for governor and senate

Byron Donalds and Ashley Moody win the Republican primaries for governor and the Senate in Florida. Both had Donald Trump's backing. While the acting senator had a clear path to the nomination, the congressman prevailed in a crowded primary against Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, investor James Fishback, and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.

Donalds, a former banker and current congressman for the 19th district, won with 48% of the vote. Collins trailed with 24%, Fishback with 10%, and Renner with 8%. He will now face Democrat David Jolly in the general election in November. As a Republican, Jolly served in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017. After leaving Congress, he distanced himself from the Republican Party and became a vocal critic of Trump.

The primary was marked by Fishback's harsh attacks against Donalds, whom he made the main target of his campaign, as well as by the absence of the leading candidates from the scheduled debates. One of the few public encounters between the leading candidates took place on Patrick Bet-David's podcast, featuring Jay Collins, James Fishback, and Paul Renner, while Donalds chose not to participate.

The Florida Republican Party was criticized for the standards it set for debate participation. The requirements were to reach 10% in the polls, have raised at least $10 million, and have more than 10,000 individual donors.

Ron DeSantis, the popular governor of Florida, decided not to endorse any candidate in the primaries.

Progressive upset in the Democratic Senate primaries

As for the Senate race, Moody comfortably won the primary and will face Democrat Angie Nixon in November. Nixon pulled off a surprise victory by defeating Alex Vindman in the primary. Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who rose to fame for testifying during the first impeachment trial against Trump over the Ukraine affair in 2019, trailed significantly in fundraising.

Nixon, a state representative endorsed by Bernie Sanders, represents Jacksonville and entered politics after working for years as a community organizer and activist. She was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2020 and has since established herself as one of the most progressive voices in the state Legislature.

The progressive candidate won 55% of the vote, compared to Vidman's 44%.