FLORIDA — Florida’s candidates for governors are in place at their watch parties, awaiting results as the final hours of voting continue.
Congressman Byron Donalds’ campaign planned to watch Election Day results roll in Tuesday night in Hollywood after Donalds cast a ballot for himself earlier in the day.
Donalds was seen voting with members of his family, including his wife and three sons. The congressman and his family are among Florida Republicans who historically choose to vote in person on Election Day.
Speaking Monday in Lakeland, Donalds said he expected Republican voters to turn out on Election Day, pointing to voting patterns during the primary season.
“Actually, to be honest, we saw this in the primary during the primary season,” Donalds said. “Early voting amongst Republicans was pretty calm and pretty quiet. Democrats were obviously voting in large numbers during the early voting and mail periods. And then Election Day happened. And in the primary, 800,000 Republicans showed up on Election Day in the primaries.”
A Florida State University study showed GOP voters in 2024 preferred in-person Election Day voting, with a 34% show rate.
Democratic candidate for governor and former congressman David Jolly returned to Tampa on election night, where supporters were set to gather at the Tampa Convention Center as his campaign came to a close.
Supporters who spoke during the final week of the campaign said affordability is the biggest issue they want Jolly to address in office. They also said they believe his character would help him carry out his policies.
Jolly, along with his wife and children, voted earlier in the day at their polling location in Pinellas County. He said he was happy with the campaign, saying his team “left it all on the field” and that the outcome is now in voters’ hands.
“You don’t always get a cycle like this, we know that, it is Florida, the numbers are against the Democratic nominee, but I think what we are seeing is voters about to defy history,” Jolly said.
Jolly focused the final week of his campaign on reaching Republicans and independents, both parties he used to belong to, in an effort to pull more voters into his campaign.
His family also played a visible role in the final stretch. His wife, Laura, joined him at most stops during the final week, and his children, CeCe and Teddy, attended several events.
Jolly said the decision to run two years ago was a family decision. He said when he woke up on election morning, he told his wife, “We did it,” and was proud of what they had done together.
