Favorite Byron Donalds cruises to easy GOP gubernatorial nomination

• U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is the frontrunner in the Republican gubernatorial primary, backed by a large campaign fund and an endorsement from Donald Trump.
• Donalds waschallenged by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, Paul Renner, and James Fishback
• Donalds will face Democrat David Jolly in the November general election.
• The primary has seen drama, including high qualification bars for debates and criticism of candidate James Fishback's rhetoric.

Money talks. U.S. Rep Byron Donalds won the Republican gubernatorial nomination, using a record-setting $111 million war chest to crush his opponents, blanking televisions and social media with ads throughout the state.

With 97% of the vote counted Tuesday, Donalds captured 48% of the GOP electorate. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins followed with 25% of the vote, conservative firebrand James Fishback managed 10.5% and former House Speaker Paul Renner trailed with 8.5%.

The Associated Press called Donalds the winner shortly after 8 p.m. ET, the time all the polls closed in the state.

With his large fiscal advantage over his opponents, most political analysts and pollsters gave Donalds the race months ago. His competitors combined raised just shy of $18 million — a more than 6 to 1 advantage for the congressman. 

The Fort Myers Republican bought a $2 million ad buy for the general election to run Wednesday through Monday, according to news reports. The ads will focus on affordability, wedding the candidate to Amendment 3, the property tax initiative that has split the GOP.

Who did Donald Trump endorse in the GOP Florida governor primary?

President Donald Trump's historically low approval ratings didn’t hurt the frontrunner. Trump endorsed Donalds, who is aiming to become Florida’s first Black governor. Renner, Collins and Fishback tried to paint themselves as the heir to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ legacy.

Donalds will face Democrat David Jolly, who also cruised to a primary victory, in November’s general election.

A Democrat hasn't won the gubernatorial seat since 1994, when Lawton Chiles won. Jolly is a Republican-turned-Democrat, running as a centrist and hoping to capitalize on anti-incumbent, anti-President Trump sentiment among the electorate.

Donalds recalled in his victory speech Tuesday night in Orlando how he arrived in Florida on a Greyhound bus at 17 years old with just a trunk of clothes.

"I worked at Cracker Barrel and moved furniture on the weekends just to make ends meet," he told supporters. "This state gave me a chance."

He used the autobiographical speech to pivot to how he understands affordability issue. "It prepared me for the real economic challenges that Floridians face every single day."

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Donalds lauded DeSantis, who did not endorse him, while not mentioning President Donald Trump, who did endorse him. A video intro for Donalds did include a clip of Trump praising the congressman.

Afterward, in talking to reporters, Donalds said, “You can’t just sit back and think the president’s endorsement is going to carry you.”

Donalds' donors include Ken Griffin of the Citadel, who wrote a $10 million check to the Friends of Byron Donalds PAC. He also received $5 million from the Leading the Future super PAC that promotes artificial intelligence. He also received millions from gambling and private prison interests.

Donalds said he got a calls from Renner and Fishback conceding the race, with both pledging their support. Fishback posted on the social media that Collins had cancelled his watch party, though there was no confirmation of such.

Renner, in his concession speech in Jacksonville, pivoted to culture war issues that the GOP plans to unleash on Jolly, painting the former Republican as a far-left politician. "Stay in the fight. There is no retirement when it comes to first principals," Renner told his supporters.

Despite an adorned frontrunner, there has been plenty of drama in this primary. The state GOP set the bar so high that no other candidate but Donalds could qualify for a debate. DeSantis criticized the lack of debates and has refused to make an official endorsement, though he came close with Renner.

What were James Fishback policies?

The two-term governor's administration also has ties to Fishback, who critics said waged a nativist campaign that used racist dog whistles and promotes antisemitism. He called Donalds "a slave" while yelling at him with a megaphone on the campaign trail.

Fishback, in Tampa, claimed victory for galvanizing a grassroots campaign. "The truth is while I concede this race, I do not concede this fight because the future of our country is on the line," he told supporters. "Our opposition had over $100 million. We had 1% of that, and yet we secured ten times as many votes as the dollars we raised."

John Pacenti is the Government Impact Reporter for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.