Miami (USA).- Republican Congressman Byron Donalds, backed by the U.S. president, Donald Trump; and former Republican Congressman David Jolly, now a Democrat, lead the preferences of their respective parties ahead of next week’s primaries to succeed Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida in the midterm elections on November 3rd.
Joining them are James Fishback, a far-right candidate of Colombian origin who proposes a tax on OnlyFans creators, and Jay Collins, the current lieutenant governor, who seeks to defend DeSantis’s agenda, both of whom will also compete next Tuesday in the primaries.
Trump’s candidate
The leader in the polls for the Republican Party’s internal election and the general election is federal congressman Byron Donalds, who could become the first African American governor of Florida and has Trump’s backing, because he believes he will implement his ‘America First’ agenda.
“He will fight tirelessly to help keep our border secure, stop migrant crime, strengthen our Military, protect our veterans, boost U.S. energy dominance, and cut taxes and regulations,” Trump wrote on his social network, Truth Social, to justify his endorsement.
Donalds, 48, has vowed to cement the leadership of Trump’s anti-immigration agenda in Florida, the third most populous state in the U.S. and where three out of every 10 inhabitants are Hispanic.
In addition to having warned at an event with Venezuelans in July in the city of Doral that he would “deport them” after the expiration of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) ordered by the president, the congressman faces controversies such as having been arrested at 18 and 20 years old for the sale of marijuana and for fraud, in addition to receiving donations from artificial intelligence (AI) companies despite having promised restrictions on the construction of data centers.
From Republican to Democrat because of Trump
On the opposition side, former congressman David Jolly (2014-2017) seeks to lead the Democratic Party, which last governed the state in 1999, after having left the Republicans in 2018 due to his criticisms of Trump’s first presidency.
Jolly (53), who leads the Democratic primary race by double digits due to the lack of other visible profiles, focuses his campaign on an economy that “works for everyone,” public solutions for housing, healthcare, and education, and protecting “the rights and dignity of all.”
But the lawyer faces the decline of his party in Florida, previously considered a swing state, as in 2026 there are more than 5.5 million voters affiliated with the Republicans compared to 4.04 million Democrats out of a total of 13.42 million voters, according to data from the Florida Department of State.
James Fishback, the far-right hopeful
Businessman James Fishback (31), the son of a Colombian migrant, has sparked the greatest controversies of the race by proposing a 50% “sin tax” on adult content creators on the OnlyFans platform, questioning U.S. aid to Israel, and using racist language, according to his own party colleagues.
Fishback has called Donalds a “slave” and accused him of seeking to turn Florida into a ‘ghetto’, in addition to joking about Jews and defending Nick Fuentes, an ‘influencer’ whom Republicans themselves accuse of being a white nationalist and antisemite.
The candidate accompanies positions of social conservatism, such as a total ban on abortion and mass deportations, with proposals of economic populism such as state-paid maternity leave and a ban on AI data centers.
Jay Collins, DeSantis’ Lieutenant Governor
Joining them is Jay Collins (50), a Florida state senator, who seeks to defend the legacy of DeSantis, who was a Republican presidential hopeful in 2024 thanks to the attention drawn by his anti-immigration stance and his cultural battles against ‘woke,’ the derogatory term used to describe progressive and diversity policies.
The veteran, who served nearly 20 years in the Armed Forces, has attempted to prevent Fishback from appearing on the ballot through a lawsuit in which he alleged that he does not meet the residency requirements, and has warned that Donalds is “too risky” for Florida due to his controversial past.
