Florida Gov.-elect Byron Donalds, who made history on Tuesday as the state’s first Black governor, said his administration will concentrate on "kitchen-table issues," particularly housing, insurance, and gas prices.
He outlined his vision for the Florida's future during a post-election interview on CNN with Dana Bash.
Donalds told CNN his campaign's central focus was addressing everyday financial strains, promising to deliver relief to households throughout the Sunshine State.
"Through this campaign process, we constantly just talked about the kitchen-table issues that matter to the people of our state, lowering insurance costs, obviously lowering property taxes, the voters approved that,' he said.
Asked about broad political swings across the country, with Democrats taking control of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, Donalds said worries of the economy drove voters's decisions at the polls.
Gas and groceries
"I think for Republicans, it's about getting back to all the basics: gas and groceries," Donalds said. "When I was traveling the State of Florida, talking to voters in every county of our state, that was the number one issue on their mind: gas, affordability, housing costs, food."
"We just have a responsibility now to go back to the drawing board, look at the idea sets, make sure we're pushing the policies that are going to help people's lives better. Gas prices going down will be a major step in the right direction," he said.
Reaching across the aisle and unifying voters
Despite winning by a narrower margin than recent Republican statewide victories, Donalds said his campaign ran an extensive grassroots effort to engage all voters.
"My campaign knocked over 2 million doors all over the State of Florida. We really made it a city by city, county by county campaign... holding town halls, engaging voters, and I believe that's why we were successful."
"My message to all voters in the State of Florida, even if you didn't vote for me, is that my responsibility is going to be making sure Florida is affordable for everybody. Regardless of your background. Regardless of your party. We are going to make sure that the Sunshine State's affordable."
Narrow Donalds victory
Donalds beat Democrat David Jolly — a former Republican — in an unexpectedly competitive race that tested the GOP’s grip on President Donald Trump ‘s adopted home state.
Donalds, a staunch Trump ally, will succeed outgoing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who used the office to fan presidential ambitions and steer the nation’s third-most populous state further to the right.
DeSantis won his first race in 2018 by less than half a percentage point. He then leaned into culture wars centered on race and gender — signing, for instance, legislation often labeled by critics as “ Don’t Say Gay ” that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through the third grade.
When he ran for reelection in 2022, he won in a nearly 20-point landslide that left the state’s Democrats in shambles. He defeated Democrat Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor who later switched parties.
On Tuesday night, Donalds squeaked by Jolly by less than 108,000 votes, according to the latest tally by the Florida Division of Elections. Almost 8.3 million Floridians voted in this year's midterm elections.
Jolly faced steep hurdles in his effort to lead the party’s rebound. Republicans have a roughly 1.5 million voter registration advantage, and Donalds dominated Jolly in fundraising.
Donalds thanked Trump in his victory speech to supporters.
“I want you to hear from Florida that we are still red,” Donalds told the crowd. “Mr. President, I also want to tell you thank you for your support and thank you for being in my corner.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
