Donalds and Jolly won Florida’s 2026 governor primaries

Byron Donalds won Florida's Republican primary for governor and David Jolly won the Democratic primary held on August 18, 2026. The Florida Department of State's official election-results page provides the statewide totals.

What the results show

Donalds received 811,131 votes, or 47.79%, in the Republican contest. The Democratic listing for David Jolly and Gwen Graham recorded 762,160 votes, or 60.95%. These are primary results, not the outcome of the November general election.

The two contests choose party nominees. Their vote totals come from different electorates, so comparing the raw totals is not a direct forecast of how the nominees will perform against one another.

What voters should check next

Use the state's election information and your county supervisor of elections for registration, polling-place and ballot details. A news page published on primary day cannot establish today's polling hours or voting location.

Why the distinction matters

Ron DeSantis's succession contest moves through separate nomination and general-election stages. A primary victory puts a candidate on the next ballot; it does not elect that candidate governor. The official record supplies the completed primary outcome.

Treat the two primaries as separate contests

The Republican and Democratic totals describe participation in their respective nomination contests. They are useful for understanding those results, but they are not a head-to-head statewide poll. The general-election ballot and its eventual result provide the next distinct comparison.

A JournoPulse blog post, prepared with AI assistance from the linked sources. Our methodology · Suggest a correction.