Florida voters choose in governor, Senate primaries and more races to watch today

Florida, Alaska and Wyoming Hold Primaries for Governor, Senate and Congressional Seats

Three states are holding primaries on Tuesday. Florida voters will select nominees for governor and U.S. Senate. Alaska voters will participate in a nonpartisan top-four primary that includes Sen. Dan Sullivan and a candidate who shares his name. Wyoming voters will begin the process of replacing retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis. Floridians are also voting in newly drawn congressional districts established after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that altered boundaries following a Supreme Court ruling that narrowed application of a section of the Voting Rights Act.

Florida has not elected a Democratic governor since 1994. DeSantis is barred from seeking a third term by term limits. He won the 2018 general election by less than one percentage point and the 2022 election by approximately 20 points.

Rep. Byron Donalds, first elected in 2020 from a district that includes Naples and Fort Myers, is the leading Republican candidate. He has received an endorsement from President Trump and has described himself as aligned with the “Make America Great Again” agenda. Donalds is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and participated in the 2023 speakership contest that required multiple ballots. He also entered the subsequent contest after Kevin McCarthy was removed. Donalds has raised approximately $90 million and leads in public polling. Ten other Republicans are on the ballot. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and activist James Fishback are the most prominent challengers. DeSantis has not made an endorsement. Collins has described himself as aligned with the DeSantis administration. Fishback, a 31-year-old Florida native, previously attempted to meet state residency requirements for the ballot; a legal challenge to his eligibility was dismissed by a judge.

Fishback has received support from Nick Fuentes and has been associated with online commentary from individuals identifying with the “groyper” label. He has made statements directed at Donalds, including references to donors and racial identity. Donalds has not directly responded to those statements in public remarks. Fishback has raised limited funds compared with Donalds.

On the Democratic side, six candidates are seeking the nomination. Former Rep. David Jolly, who represented the St. Petersburg area as a Republican from 2014 to 2016 before changing parties, leads the field. Jolly previously lost a 2016 Senate primary to Charlie Crist, who later ran as a Democrat and lost the 2022 gubernatorial race to DeSantis by nearly 20 points. Crist is now a candidate for mayor of St. Petersburg.

In the Senate race, Gov. DeSantis appointed Ashley Moody to the seat vacated by Marco Rubio after Rubio became secretary of state. Moody, who won election twice as attorney general, faces three Republican challengers and is expected to win the nomination. Democrats Alex Vindman and Angie Nixon are competing for their party’s nomination. Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, served on the National Security Council and testified during the first impeachment proceedings concerning a 2019 telephone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president. His brother, Eugene Vindman, was elected to Congress from Virginia in 2024. Nixon, a state representative from Jacksonville, has emphasized support from labor unions and Rep. Maxwell Frost.

DeSantis signed legislation earlier this year that redrew congressional districts after the Supreme Court narrowed the portion of the Voting Rights Act that had required certain majority-Black districts. The changes increased the number of districts expected to favor Republican candidates. Rep. Darren Soto’s former district was altered and is now more competitive for Republicans. Soto is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Seven Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination, including Thomas Chalifoux Jr., who received more than 40 percent of the vote against Soto in 2024, and Marcus Carter, who appeared on the 2024 general-election ballot as an unaffiliated candidate. Dan Green, who worked in the first Trump administration, has received endorsements from seven members of Congress.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is running in the neighboring 20th District after her previous district was changed. The 20th District remains majority Black and has been represented by Black members of Congress since the 1980s. Wasserman Schultz has faced criticism from other candidates in the race, all of whom are African American. The seat became vacant after Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned earlier this year ahead of an Ethics Committee review concerning allegations of misconduct. Cherfilus-McCormick is again seeking the Democratic nomination along with Luther Campbell, Dale Holness and Elijah Manly.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz’s district was also redrawn to favor Republicans. He faces a primary challenge from Oliver Larkin, who has described Moskowitz’s positions on Israel and campaign contributions as points of contrast. Florida’s 25th District contains one of the larger concentrations of Jewish voters in the United States.

Rep. Cory Mills faces three Republican primary challengers. Mills is the subject of a House Ethics Committee review concerning allegations related to federal contracting, military service claims and an assault accusation. A woman filed a police report last year, and a former girlfriend sought a restraining order. Mills has not been charged and has denied the allegations. Two members of the Florida congressional delegation have endorsed challenger Ryan Elijah. Some members of Congress have discussed possible censure or expulsion proceedings.

In Alaska, Democrats would need to gain four seats to obtain a Senate majority. Former Rep. Mary Peltola is challenging incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. Alaska uses a nonpartisan primary system in which the top four vote-getters advance to the general election. Peltola won a 2022 special election and the subsequent full term but lost her House seat in 2024. Thirteen candidates are on the Senate primary ballot, including another individual named Daniel J. Sullivan. The Alaska Supreme Court allowed the second Sullivan to remain on the ballot. President Trump stated that the presence of two candidates with the same name could confuse voters. Peltola has raised more than $18 million; Sullivan has raised more than $11 million. The second Sullivan has raised approximately $18,000. A fundraising appeal sent on Peltola’s behalf by former Vice President Kamala Harris was not authorized by the Peltola campaign, according to statements from the campaign.

In Wyoming, one-term Sen. Cynthia Lummis is not seeking reelection. Harriet Hageman, endorsed by President Trump, is the leading candidate to succeed her. Hageman previously defeated former Rep. Liz Cheney in the 2022 House primary. Hageman faces four other Republican primary candidates. Two Democrats are also seeking their party’s nomination for the general election. Nine Republicans are competing for the open House seat being vacated by Hageman.