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Republicans in Florida on Tuesday nominated Rep. Byron Donalds, a close ally of President Donald Trump, to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, while Democrats chose former Rep. David Jolly, a former Republican who left the party amid his opposition to Trump.
The primary results offered a mixed picture of the president’s influence heading into the November midterm elections. Trump-backed candidates won several high-profile races, but others lost despite his endorsement, underscoring the limits of the president’s role as the Republican Party’s dominant political figure.
Democratic socialists also continued to make gains, with Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon defeating retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman in the Democratic Senate primary. At the same time, two Democratic House incumbents survived challenges from the party’s left in newly redrawn districts.
In Alaska, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola advanced toward a general election for the Senate seat, while a second candidate named Dan Sullivan created an unusual potential complication for Republicans.
Trump ally Byron Donalds wins Florida GOP nomination
Donalds, who received Trump’s endorsement, won the Republican primary for governor and will face Jolly in November.
The result was widely expected, but Donalds’ performance raised questions about the strength of his support. Despite campaigning for more than a year with Trump’s backing and support from much of the Florida Republican establishment, Donalds was on track to finish below 50% of the vote.
Trump-backed Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, another prominent MAGA ally, won his state’s Republican gubernatorial primary with roughly 74% of the vote last month.
Donalds emphasized unity in his victory speech.
“We put aside our differences tonight,” he said. “We are one united Republican Party.”
He campaigned on property tax changes, data center regulations and continued alignment with the Trump administration.
Jolly, meanwhile, presented his victory as evidence of a changing political coalition.
“There is a new coalition emerging in American politics tonight, and it’s starting right here in the state of Florida,” Jolly said.
Florida Republicans hold a significant voter-registration advantage, with roughly 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats. Donalds also raised more than $100 million during the primary, giving him a substantial financial advantage heading into the general election.
Trump endorsements produce mixed results
The Florida primary also provided another example of Trump’s endorsements failing to guarantee victory.
Trump-backed candidates have recently lost Republican gubernatorial primaries in several states, including Iowa, Minnesota, Georgia and South Carolina.
In Florida’s 19th Congressional District, former Commerce Department official Catalina Lauf, Trump’s preferred candidate to replace Donalds, lost to political newcomer Jim Schwartzel, a Southwest Florida businessman and president of Sun Broadcasting.
Trump’s preferred candidate also lost in Wyoming’s Republican gubernatorial primary. State Sen. Eric Barlow defeated Trump-endorsed state Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Mark Gordon.
Trump did score a major victory in the Wyoming Senate primary. Rep. Harriet Hageman, who ousted former Rep. Liz Cheney in 2022 and remains a close Trump ally, easily won the Republican nomination to replace retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis.
The results suggest that while Trump’s endorsement remains one of the most valuable assets in Republican primaries, it is not necessarily decisive.
Cory Mills loses amid ethics scrutiny
Florida Rep. Cory Mills, a two-term Republican facing multiple investigations and allegations, lost his primary Tuesday to former news anchor Ryan Elijah.
Mills had received Trump’s endorsement in February but was not included on a more recent list of Florida Republicans Trump publicly endorsed.
Two Republican members of Florida’s congressional delegation, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos, backed Elijah. DeSantis also said last week that he did not support Mills.
Mills faces a House Ethics Committee investigation involving potential campaign finance violations, an alleged threat involving revenge pornography and an assault allegation. He has denied wrongdoing.
The defeat marks another setback for a controversial Republican incumbent heading into the midterm elections.
Democratic socialist Angie Nixon scores Florida Senate upset
Florida Democrats also delivered one of the night’s biggest surprises when state Rep. Angie Nixon defeated Vindman for the Democratic Senate nomination.
Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and key witness in Trump’s first impeachment inquiry, significantly outraised Nixon.
According to the most recent fundraising reports cited by CNN, Vindman had raised roughly $16 million compared with about $1 million for Nixon. He also had more than $7 million in cash on hand heading into the final weeks of the primary, compared with about $265,000 for Nixon.
Nixon nevertheless prevailed by running as a progressive alternative.
She focused heavily on Palestinian rights, opposition to U.S. military support for Israel and resistance to DeSantis’ redistricting efforts. She was arrested in May after participating in a sit-in at the governor’s office.
Nixon also recently joined the Democratic Socialists of America.
Her platform includes Medicare for All, free child care, a national rent freeze and a moratorium on evictions. As a state legislator, she has advocated for expanded early childhood education and efforts to address corporate price increases.
Nixon’s victory continues a broader trend of progressive and democratic socialist candidates making gains in Democratic primaries this election cycle.
However, Republican Sen. Ashley Moody remains heavily favored in November in a state that has moved sharply to the right.
Democrats defend House incumbents from the left
The progressive movement also suffered setbacks in two Florida House primaries.
Democratic Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz both won their primaries after facing challenges in newly redrawn districts.
Moskowitz defeated Oliver Larkin, a 34-year-old activist and union organizer, in South Florida’s 25th Congressional District.
Moskowitz has positioned himself as a critic of democratic socialism and argued that many voters want political change without embracing more radical policies.
“This is a pro-Israel district,” Moskowitz said, arguing that positions that might succeed in other parts of the country would not necessarily resonate in South Florida.
Wasserman Schultz also won her primary after choosing to run in the Black plurality 20th District in Broward County.
Her victory means the district is unlikely to be represented by a Black lawmaker next year, which would mark the first time in more than three decades.
Alaska race features an unusual ballot twist
Alaska’s Senate primary produced one of the more unusual storylines of the night.
Incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola were projected to advance to the general election.
Peltola, the first Alaska Native elected to Congress, has centered her campaign on protecting Alaska’s fisheries and seafood economy. Her campaign uses the slogan “fish, family, freedom” as she attempts to attract independent and right-leaning voters.
But another candidate named Dan Sullivan could also advance.
The incumbent is listed on the ballot as Dan S. Sullivan, while the other candidate is Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. Both ran as Republicans.
Republicans unsuccessfully sought to remove the second Sullivan from the ballot.
Trump urged Alaska voters Tuesday to support the “real” Dan Sullivan and described his opponent as an “imposter.” The second Sullivan has maintained that his candidacy is legitimate.
The name similarity could become more consequential if the general election is closely contested.
Comeback bids fall short
Several former members of Congress also failed in attempts to return to Washington.
In Florida’s 19th Congressional District, former Republican Reps. Chris Collins and Madison Cawthorn both failed to gain significant support, as did former Illinois state lawmaker Jim Oberweis.
Former Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick also lost her comeback attempt to Wasserman Schultz.
Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress in April ahead of a potential House Ethics Committee vote. The committee had previously found her responsible for multiple ethics violations. She also faces separate criminal charges and has pleaded not guilty.
Former Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson also fell short in another attempt to return to Congress, finishing third in the Democratic primary for Florida’s 7th Congressional District.
What the primaries mean for November
Tuesday’s results point to a complicated political landscape heading into the midterms.
Trump remains highly influential among Republican voters, particularly in conservative states and districts, but several high-profile losses show that his endorsement is not an automatic ticket to victory.
For Democrats, progressive candidates continue to demonstrate their ability to win competitive primaries, even when facing better-funded opponents. But the defeats of progressive challengers to Moskowitz and Wasserman Schultz suggest the movement still faces limits in more moderate or politically diverse districts.
Florida’s statewide races will be especially difficult for Democrats. The Republican Party’s registration advantage, Trump’s strong performance in the state and the state’s recent rightward shift all give Republicans a significant advantage heading into November.
For Democrats seeking control of the Senate, the party is likely to concentrate resources on states where Republicans are more vulnerable, including Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and Texas.
The Florida primary therefore offers two competing lessons: Trump’s grip on Republican politics remains powerful, but not absolute, while Democrats’ progressive wing continues to gain influence even as the party struggles to determine which candidates can win in November.
