Republican Byron Donalds wins Florida governor's race, becoming the state's first Black governor

Republican Byron Donalds has been elected the next governor of Florida, beating Democrat David Jolly in the US midterm elections. Donalds will be the first Black leader of the state. The contest was one of the most closely watched in the country, and the result keeps the governor's office in Republican hands after eight years under Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis, who previously ran for US president, leaves office in January because of term limits.

The campaign

Donalds was endorsed by President Donald Trump. In the final days of the campaign he appeared twice with the president at rallies, in Fort Myers and Daytona Beach, even though he had earlier seemed to keep his distance. The president's standing nationally has been hurt by the war with Iran and the cost of living, which threaten the Republican support that helped him win Florida three times.

Campaigning for Jolly were former president Bill Clinton, who also headlined a fundraiser that raised $3m for the campaign, and Barack Obama, who endorsed him.

Both parties built their arguments around DeSantis's legacy. During his time as governor he devoted much attention to culture war issues, including measures targeting the LGBTQ+ community, reshaping higher education and enforcing Trump's strict immigration policy. Donalds highlighted the outgoing governor's endorsement and described his campaign as "a continuation of the DeSantis-era of success", warning that Jolly wanted to undo what DeSantis built.

Jolly pointed to Florida's high cost of living, including rising housing and property insurance costs, and did not dispute that. In his closing pitch he promised to fight to lower costs.

What awaits the new governor

Donalds inherits a divided state. A booming economy and population growth have pushed up costs and forced many people to leave. In a September poll, almost 70% of respondents named economic pressures and housing affordability as their top concern.

The makeup of the state legislature will also shape Florida's direction. A Republican supermajority there has in recent years effectively approved almost every DeSantis initiative, but the Republican leaders of the House and Senate have signalled they want to be more independent.