Florida holds primaries for governor and Congress, testing Trump’s grip on adopted state

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (AP) — A Republican vying for Florida's first Black governor faces a crowded field on Tuesday while Democrats engage in primary battles for a limited pool of left-leaning seats following redrawn congressional maps. U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds hopes President Donald Trump's endorsement will help him secure the Republican nomination and advance to the fall election.

Competing with him are Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and political newcomer James Fishback. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a prominent conservative figure, is ineligible to run for a third consecutive term. The primaries are set to reveal how well Trump retains his influence in his adopted state and how Democrats can reassert themselves as a national political force.

In a special U.S. Senate election, two Democrats are competing to fill the term of former Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who moved to the Trump administration. Progressive candidate Angie Nixon faces off against retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, who previously testified in Trump's first impeachment. Meanwhile, former Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, appointed by DeSantis, is poised to take on the Republican nomination for Rubio's remaining term.

In congressional races, the most significant primary contest involves Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, and others in a redrawn south Florida district. Wasserman Schultz aims to retain her 12th term, while Cherfilus-McCormick seeks a comeback after facing potential House ethics sanctions.

Donalds and Jolly are making history, with Donalds hoping to become the state's first Black governor and Jolly striving to prove that a former Republican can win the Democratic ticket in Florida, a state where such a switch has previously failed.