Live updates: Byron Donalds and David Jolly will compete to replace Ron DeSantis as Florida governor

“SleazeBag Vindman loses tonight to a Radical Left Lunatic. How cool is that???” President Donald Trump posted.

Vindman testified against Trump during his first impeachment.

Following his testimony, Trump ousted Vindman from the National Security Council, and later, Vindman retired from the Army. His lawyer blamed Trump for the departure.

That was her campaign motto, she told supporters after securing the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Moody to the seat vacated by now Secretary of State Marco Rubio, now she’ll face off against a Democrat to keep it.

Moody detailed her attack message against her opponent, one that’s become increasingly common from Republicans running against a growing number of progressive contenders.

“‘Sometimes you have to fight like crazy to fight crazy,’ and we are staring down crazy in the socialists today,” she said, referencing a quote from her sister. “Angie Nixon, who will be my opponent in November, and her comrades want to destroy this country and everything that it is built on.”

Alaska voter Tom Dienst, who describes himself as an “extremely staunch Reagan Republican,” said he was looking for candidates with “good standards” and believes that’s incumbent Dan Sullivan in the state’s Senate race.

Dienst described as shocking the potential that the red state could turn blue and said President Donald Trump needs allies to help carry through his agenda.

After retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel lost Florida’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate to state Rep. Angie Nixon, he gave a conciliatory and sentimental message.

“Who would’ve ever thought that a Jewish refugee would make it to the U.S. Army, to the White House, and to becoming a candidate for the U.S. Senate,” wrote Vindman, a former National Security Council official who testified in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment case in 2019.

“I still believe in the American Dream, because I’ve lived it,” he continued on X. “Rep. Nixon ran a strong campaign. I will be standing by her side”

“Florida is a great meritocracy in America,” Donalds said when asked what it means to him and to the state to be Republicans’ first Black gubernatorial nominee and potentially its first Black governor.

Donalds did mention “my journey through life” and said many Florida voters are familiar with his story but also with his “voting record in Congress” and his conservative credentials.

Donalds has not emphasized the historic nature of his candidacy.

“I’ll let you guys write about that,” he told reporters.

Black voters nationally and in Florida vote overwhelmingly Democratic, though Trump made notable gains with Black men in 2024, and Donalds promised to court all parts of the diverse electorate.

The Republican nominee’s intro video included a clip of the president praising the congressman. But in his lengthy victory speech, Donalds did not mention President Donald Trump or the endorsement.

Afterward, he told reporters he’s grateful for the support but won’t lean on it in a general election campaign.

“Obviously, he has the strongest following of anybody in our party,” Donalds said. “You start with that.” But, he added, “You can’t just sit back and think the president’s endorsement is going to carry you.”

He said he’s talked with Trump about that and “the president knows this.”

After U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds won the GOP primary and spoke to his supporters, Collins took to the social platform X to thank his staff, adding that it was an “honor of a lifetime” to meet Floridians on the campaign trail.

“I congratulate Byron Donalds on his victory,” wrote Collins, who was previously elected as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ running mate, “and vow to continue fighting like hell to ensure we remain the free state of Florida in November.”

In-person Election Day voting ended in Wyoming at 7 p.m. local time, which is 9 p.m. ET. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.

In the 2024 state primary, The Associated Press first reported results at 9:27 p.m. ET, or 27 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:58 a.m. ET with about 98% of total votes counted.

Follow live results in Wyoming.

State Rep. Angie Nixon’s win in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary means that both parties will have a Black nominee in the top statewide races.

Republicans made Byron Donalds the party’s first Black nominee for governor.

Some south Florida Democrats had expressed concerns that Black turnout in heavily Democratic Broward County could be down in November if Democrats had an all-white ticket.

Donalds’ Democratic opponent, Jolly, and his running mate, Gwen Graham, are both white and could benefit if Nixon’s candidacy helps drive turnout among Black voters who might have stayed home or even be drawn to Donalds’ candidacy.

There is still the complicating factor of Nixon’s progressive leanings. That could hamper her ability to reach Hispanic voters in south Florida, where many voters or their family members’ fled socialist regimes in Latin America.

“We are going to DOGE all local governments and all state agencies,” Donalds said. “There will be no sacred cows.”

One month after President Donald Trump and Elon Musk created the United States Department of Government Efficiency in early 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis established Florida’s state-level DOGE, which his administration said would ensure accountability in local government, reduce waste and save taxpayer money.

Florida’s DOGE examines Florida county and state agencies. Previously, it subpoenaed Orlando county workers over failing to cooperate with officers, claiming workers were hiding records associated with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Donalds promised to post all state spending online for Florida residents to see.

“Taxpayers deserve to know their hard-earned dollars are being spent with transparency and hard-earned integrity,” Donalds said.

Some voters in Alaska said they were worried about the direction of the state and country and wanted to shake up the status quo in Washington.

Top races on Tuesday’s open primary ballot include U.S. Senate and House and governor.

Jeri Kissner, who said she votes for the person versus for a party, said she thinks Congress must do more to push back against President Donald Trump.

She said she favored Democrat Mary Peltola in the Senate race.

Giap Nguyen, an independent who leans Democratic, said he wants elected leaders who challenge the status quo. He said he felt he had a lot of choices in the field of 16 Senate candidates but wasn’t sure on the quality of some of the choices.

He declined to say who he voted for for Senate.

Florida Democrats nominated a former Republican for governor, but Republican nominee Byron Donalds wasted no time in labeling him as “Liberal David Jolly.”

Donalds said the former congressman backs socialist policies. He noted that Jolly has been a commentator on MSNOW, a liberal-leaning cable TV network, and has defended Dr. Anthony Fauci’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, while supporting Kamala Harris for president in 2024.

“Liberal David Jolly is the change that Florida cannot afford,” Donalds said.

Jolly did not shy away from his partisan history as he addressed supporters.

“To my Democratic friends, thank you for welcoming me into the party,” he said, which got a “Woo!” from the crowd.

Jolly’s speech detailed a platform that balances between both political parties: an embrace of capitalism and a lean government, but one that “needs to do its part to fill the gaps.” Then he turned to social issues, where the current governor has championed the conservative cause.

“As an old-school Republican, I talk about ending the culture wars not to celebrate some progressive platform,” he said, “but because I still believe in the old-school Republican, libertarian policy that government should simply stay out of your life.”

The Florida Republican nominee is a Florida State University graduate and fan of the Seminoles athletics teams, especially football.

He called out the “Noles Nation” at his primary victory party and beamed as many of his supporters broke out in the school’s signature Seminole war chant.

Then he assured other Florida college sports loyalists — the University of Florida Gators, the Miami Hurricanes and others — that now, as a potential governor, “I love all the schools.”

Former Democratic U.S. Reps. Alan Grayson and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick lost their races in the 7th and 20th Congressional Districts, respectively. Two Republican former members who previously represented districts in other states, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Chris Collins of New York, lost the GOP nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds in the 19th Congressional District.

At the top of the ballot, two former members had better luck seeking higher office. Former Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly and his running mate, former Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, won the Democratic nomination for governor and lieutenant governor.

The 47-year-old congressman told his supporters at a Universal Studios resort hotel that he’d heard from GOP rivals who pledged their help in winning the general election.

“The primary is over,” he said. “Tonight we put aside our differences. Tonight we are one united Republican Party.”

Donalds talked of his economic struggles with his wife Erica when they were a newly married couple. He ran with Trump’s endorsement, but he has emphasized Floridians’ economic hardships without blaming the president for what voters “face every single day.”

He said he wants a state where people “can give your kids a better shot than you have.”

Nine Republicans seek to succeed Harriet Hageman, Wyoming’s lone U.S. representative who is now seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

The GOP candidates include Chuck Gray, Wyoming’s secretary of state since 2022. The others include Senate President Bo Biteman, a certified landman who has also served in the Wyoming House.

Candidate Kevin Christensen is a former U.S. Bureau of Land Management district manager who was a U.S. Army colonel and attack helicopter pilot.

Also seeking the Republican nomination are former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow and Steve Friess, son of the late financier Foster Friess.

The winner in November will face one of two Democrats seeking their party’s nomination. Wyoming has not been represented by a Democrat in the U.S. House since 1978.

Hageman has served two terms since she defeated incumbent Liz Cheney in the 2024 Republican primary.

Ms. Rachel is the YouTube content creator and modern day Mr. Rogers, who threw her support behind Nixon, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Florida.

Some of the toddler-oriented YouTube videos of Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, have racked up over 1 billion views. Some 5.4 million people follow her Instagram, where she posted about Nixon on Monday.

“Angie and I both see how hard it is for families to afford high quality childcare. It’s not ok!” wrote Ms. Rachel, before adding: “Our tax dollars should not be spent on the genocide in Gaza.”

Mills faced a series of scandals including allegations of domestic violence involving a former girlfriend, which he denies.

Florida Republicans including DeSantis abandoned Mills ahead of the primary. President Donald Trump initially backed Mills in February but did not include him in a list of endorsements on Monday.

Surrounded by her campaign members, Wasserman Schultz tearfully thanked voters for having confidence in her.

“[I will work] to make all of you proud, to make sure that the people we spoke to all across this district know that I will fight so they can pay their rent,” Wasserman Schultz said.

She said she hoped to live up to the legacy of Alcee Hastings, a longtime representative of District 20 who passed away in 2021.

Wasserman Schultz will be the first representative of the new District 20 despite controversy regarding her running in the historically Black-represented district.

Nixon would be Florida’s first Black U.S. senator if elected in November. She is running to fill the last two years of a term Republican Marco Rubio won in 2022 before becoming Trump’s secretary of state in January 2025.

It’s the latest victory for progressive candidates who have found success in primary contests against establishment-backed Democrats this year.

Moody, 51, was appointed to fill Rubio’s seat after he became Trump’s secretary of state. Now she’s running to finish the last two years of his term.

A former state attorney general, Moody has Trump’s backing. Florida has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 2012, when then-Sen. Bill Nelson won reelection.

For the second time in a row, Florida Democrats have chosen a former Republican as their candidate for the state’s highest office.

Jolly, 53, served as a Republican U.S. representative but became a fierce critic of Trump. He became an independent and then joined the Democratic Party last year.

Four years ago, Democrats backed former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist. He was easily defeated by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is finishing his second term and is barred from seeking a third consecutive term.

Donalds, 47, was backed by President Donald Trump. If he wins in November, he would be the state’s first Black governor.

He defeated several opponents on Tuesday, including Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and political newcomer James Fishback.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is barred from seeking a third consecutive term.

“Byron Donalds will be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump wrote on social media.