HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Minutes after winning a historic victory as Florida’s first Black governor Tuesday night, Republican Byron Donalds signaled what could be a new era of good feelings in Florida politics. In a news conference after his victory, Donalds sounded as if he almost liked talking to reporters. “If you’ve seen how I conduct myself, you’ve noticed that I’m just very open,” Donalds told ...

Byron Donalds speaks during his election night party at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel& Casino on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Hollywood, Florida.

Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Minutes after winning a historic victory as Florida’s first Black governor Tuesday night, Republican Byron Donalds signaled what could be a new era of good feelings in Florida politics.

In a news conference after his victory, Donalds sounded as if he almost liked talking to reporters.

“If you’ve seen how I conduct myself, you’ve noticed that I’m just very open,” Donalds told a throng of TV, digital and print journalists at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. “We can sit down and talk about whatever you want to talk about. We may or may not agree, but it’s going to be a very frank and very direct conversation.”

Though that may not sound like much, for members of a Tallahassee press corps that has covered Gov. Ron DeSantis the past eight years, it represents a seismic shift in relations.

DeSantis, who remains popular in Florida, at times either ignores reporters or, during news conferences, lectures and berates them. Recently, he urged law enforcement to prosecute those who leaked a grand jury report to the media.

To those familiar with DeSantis, Donalds sounded Tuesday like a chief executive from another planet.

“We’ll agree sometimes,’ Donalds told reporters. “Or sometimes we won’t. Whatever. If you write a story and I don’t like it, that’s the way it goes. I might tweet about it, but that’s the way it goes.”

Perhaps this note of civility accompanies the elation of any election night winner. Will it last beyond that first crisis, when officials tend to shut down and close ranks? Time will tell.

But Donalds made other comments Tuesday night that seemed like a departure from the divisive politics and culture wars of the past 10 years. When he mentioned in his victory speech that his opponent, Democrat David Jolly, called to concede, some in the crowd jeered. Donalds cut them off.

“No, no, no, hold on, hold on,” Donalds said. “We talked, and I had to congratulate David on running a hard-fought race. He did. And so, in this campaign, if you know anything about me, we work hard every single day and we do it with integrity, and we win with class and dignity.”

He assured supporters and reporters Tuesday night that he won’t discriminate as governor. He will represent everyone, he said, even those who voted against him.

“For people who voted for David Jolly, we want to make sure that we address their concerns,” Donalds said. “Without a doubt, people are concerned about the cost of living in our state. And so, for the people that voted for David Jolly, I want them to understand very clearly that we’re not here to represent 51% of Florida. I’m going to govern effectively for all of Florida, and we’re going to be in every community in this state.”

Donalds won in a cycle where Republicans across the nation lost. Democrats regained control of the U.S. House and Senate. While he and other Republicans swept in Florida, they did so at a smaller margin than they did four years ago. Did he take Tuesday’s results as a message from voters?

“I haven’t had a chance to look around the country,” Donalds said Tuesday night. “Going forward, we just have to make sure that we’re just focused on the basic issues that matter to all people in their lives.”

For reporters, who act as the surrogates for the public by covering government, that could mean dealing with a governor who will actually work with them.

“We’re going to be focused on addressing the issues of our state,” Donalds told reporters, “and I think having that relationship with the press is very important.”

_____