Episode notes
FLORIDA — The State of Florida has never elected never a Black candidate as governor...
U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds has won the Florida Republican gubernatorial nomination, inching him closer to becoming the state's first Black governor...
Donalds, a prominent Black Republican backed by President Donald J. Trump, was the overwhelming favorite among polled Republican voters over his opponents in the race: hedge fund investor James Fishback and Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins. He ultimately won with more than 48% of the vote on Tuesday night, according to the latest polling results, which are still being tallied...
Donalds, a Brooklyn native emerged as a top national Republican after being unsuccessfully nominated for Speaker of the United States House of of Representatives by members of the Republican Caucus. From there, Donalds began using his newfound national microphone to defend Trump during the 2024 presidential election...
The 47-year-old, who took office at the beginning of the Biden administration, became a prominent Republican voice trying to convert Black voters, namely Black men, who traditionally vote Democratic, to support Trump's re-election bid...
Donalds has backed President Trump's anti-DEI agenda, dismissing the need for diversity and equity policies to close gaps in racial disparities as a "false premise." He's also been criticized by Black leaders over controversial statements about race in America, like saying that "the Black family was together" during the Jim Crow era...