Republican Rep. Byron Donalds was elected governor of Florida on Tuesday, defeating Democrat David Jolly and becoming the first Black person ever chosen to lead the state. He will take over from Ron DeSantis, who could not seek a third straight term, when he is sworn in next January.

The win keeps a Republican in the Governor's Mansion for a fifth consecutive term and extends the party's hold on an office it has controlled for nearly three decades. Donalds is also set to become the first Black Republican ever elected governor of any state.

The race ended up tighter than many expected. Jolly led for part of the evening as early returns came in, but Donalds pulled ahead as the count moved toward completion and finished with a lead of a little more than one percentage point and roughly 117,000 votes out of about 8.2 million cast.

Money and a missing debate

Donalds raised about $130 million and had a major financial edge over Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties and got little help from national Democratic groups. Jolly also refused to debate, a choice that drew criticism from both parties and let Donalds accuse him of hiding from voters.

Donalds won an early endorsement from President Donald Trump that helped clear the Republican primary field. In the closing stretch he leaned more on DeSantis and promised to carry on his approach, although the two men have had a cool relationship. At a September event in Tampa, Donalds told the crowd his one goal was keeping Florida the free state of Florida.

He also campaigned in places that were not friendly ground. A town hall at Florida A&M, the historically Black university in Tallahassee, turned tense at times as students pressed him on his opposition to critical race theory. He told them he wants every state university degree to carry real value in the job market.

A historic night for Black candidates

Donalds' win came on the same night Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won next door in Georgia to become the first Black woman elected governor anywhere in the country. Before Tuesday only three Black Americans had ever been elected governor of a state, all of them Democrats.