The Democrats put up two white candidates to stop Florida's first black governor.
Now a 40-year Democrat is endorsing the man they're trying to stop.
And this Democrat City Commissioner just endorsed Byron Donalds and torched her own Party on the way out.
The Party That Takes Your Vote and Gives You Nothing
Anne Huffman has been a registered Democrat for four decades.
She was the first African American woman elected to the Haines City Commission.
She won three elections, served as mayor, and spent her career fighting for Florida's most vulnerable residents.
And on October 1, 2026, she announced she's voting for Byron Donalds.
"As a Democrat for 40 years, I've watched my party take our votes for granted," Huffman said.
That one sentence is the whole story.
Democrats don't deliver for black communities.
They deliver speeches about black communities – then they go back to picking white establishment insiders for every major ticket slot.
Jolly Passed Over Every Qualified Black Leader in Florida
When David Jolly chose his running mate, he had a simple choice: build a ticket that reflected the voters his party claims to champion, or pick another familiar name from the Florida political dynasty drawer.
He picked Gwen Graham, the daughter of former Governor Bob Graham.
She’s white and a member of the establishment.
The Republicans put up Byron Donalds – who would be Florida's first black governor – with a Cuban American running mate.
The Democrats put up two white candidates.
Gainesville City Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut, a black Democrat and former state legislator, had already crossed over in September, saying she wanted Florida to elect its first black governor in her lifetime.
"When David Jolly chose his running mate, he passed over many qualified black leaders and picked Gwen Graham, who attacked Andrew Gillum when they ran against each other for the Democratic nomination," Huffman said.
That's a real grievance, not a talking point.
https://twitter.com/WellsJorda89710/status/2105686383478136860?s=20
The 2018 Democrat primary between Graham and Gillum turned ugly – the same Gillum who nearly became Florida's first black governor before losing to Ron DeSantis by fewer than 34,000 votes.
Huffman didn't forget it either.
The Shift Has Been Building for Years
This isn't one commissioner going rogue.
This is a trend accelerating across the country – Republican candidates pulled 14% of black voters nationally in 2022, nearly double the 8% they won four years earlier, according to AP VoteCast.
In Florida specifically, Democrats lost 10% of their black registered voters between 2022 and 2024, while registered black Republicans grew 17% over the same period.
The party that built its entire identity on black loyalty is hemorrhaging it in real time.
Donalds has $44 million in the bank to Jolly's $6.3 million.
A St. Pete Polls survey has the race at 44% to 43% for Donalds.
Decision Desk HQ rates it a toss-up.
A Stetson University poll showed Donalds pulling 25% of black voters.
That's not a rounding error.
That's a realignment.
What Democrats Built – and What They're Losing
The Democrat Party spent 60 years telling black voters they had nowhere else to go.
The strategy worked until it didn't.
https://twitter.com/ByronDonalds/status/2103852536415367330?s=20
It stopped working the moment black voters looked around and noticed the pattern: their party runs white governors, white lt. governors, white presidential nominees – and saves the inspirational speeches about diversity for the fundraising emails.
"I'm voting for the candidate who truly cares about Florida's most vulnerable people, and that's Byron Donalds," Huffman said.
She watched her party for 40 years.
She made her decision.
Donalds could be the first black Republican governor of any state since Reconstruction.
The black Democrats crossing over to support him aren't confused.
They're paying attention.
Sources:
- Peter Schorsch, "Anne Huffman, a Democrat on the Haines City Commission, endorses Byron Donalds for Governor," Florida Politics, October 1, 2026.
- "Donalds inching closer to becoming first-ever Black Florida governor," Atlanta Tribune, June 15, 2026.
- "David Jolly selects Gwen Graham as running mate in Florida governor's race," WFLX, June 10, 2026.
- "Black support for GOP ticked up in this year's midterms," WABE/AP VoteCast, December 31, 2022.
- "Will Donalds make race a focus in Florida governor's race?," AOL/AP, 2026.
