GOP Digest — August 19, 2026 | Donalds and Moody Sweep Florida as Hageman Wins Wyoming Senate Nod

Republicans woke up Wednesday with three more statewide tickets set: a Trump-backed nominee in Florida's governor's race, a comfortable hold on Wyoming's open Senate seat, and an incumbent senator renominated with roughly four-fifths of her party's vote. In Alaska, both federal incumbents cleared the top-four primary. And in Florida, Democrats passed over their best-known recruit.

Today's Digest

• [PRIMARIES] — Byron Donalds wins the Republican nomination for Florida governor: Donalds took 47.9 percent of the vote to Lt. Gov. Jay Collins' 25.1 percent with 92 percent of the expected vote counted, according to the Associated Press. The Naples-area congressman carried President Donald Trump's endorsement early and held a wide fundraising edge over a field that also included former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and businessman James Fishback. He advances to the Nov. 3 general election to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.
• [SENATE] — Ashley Moody renominated with nearly 80 percent of the Republican vote: Moody, appointed in January 2025 by DeSantis to fill Marco Rubio's seat after Rubio became secretary of state, dominated a four-way primary. Chris Gleason trailed with about 14 percent, while Ernest Rivera and Neelam Perry each took less than 5 percent. She faces Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon on Nov. 3 in a special election for the remaining two years of Rubio's term.
• [SENATE] — Harriet Hageman takes Wyoming's open Senate seat nomination by a double-digit margin: Hageman had 62.7 percent of the Republican vote as of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to runner-up Sam Mead's 28.5 percent, with the Associated Press calling the race before 9 p.m. The seat came open after Sen. Cynthia Lummis announced she would not seek a second term. Hageman, backed by Trump, will face Democrat James Byrd in November.
• [PRIMARIES] — Wyoming Republicans pick state Sen. Eric Barlow for governor over Trump-endorsed Megan Degenfelder: Barlow, a Gillette state senator, 14-year legislator and former state House speaker, defeated Degenfelder, who had Trump's endorsement since January, and retired Marine Corps Col. Brent Bien, who carried the state Republican Party central committee's endorsement. Degenfelder conceded Tuesday and congratulated the nominee, saying it is "now our responsibility to come together, move forward." Barlow faces Democrat Kenneth Casner and Constitution Party nominee Rebecca Bextel on Nov. 3.
• [ALASKA] — Dan Sullivan advances out of a 16-candidate top-four primary: With 242 of 403 precincts reporting as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, Democrat Mary Peltola had 46.8 percent and Sullivan 44.4 percent, both comfortably clearing the top four in a field of 16. Rep. Nick Begich III led a 15-candidate U.S. House field over independent challenger Bill Hill. Counting runs through Aug. 28, the deadline for mailed absentee ballots to arrive.
• [DEM-WATCH] — Florida Democrats pass over Alex Vindman for the Senate nomination: Retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, who served on the National Security Council and testified during Trump's first impeachment proceedings, lost the Democratic Senate primary to Nixon by roughly 56 percent to 44 percent with more than 90 percent of the vote counted. For governor, Democrats nominated David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who left the GOP in 2018 and joined the Democratic Party in 2025.

On the Record

Wyoming has always been a pioneer for the rights of individuals, and I am grateful to the people of our great state for entrusting me with the responsibility of promoting and defending our ideals in Congress at this moment in history.

— Harriet Hageman, after winning Wyoming's Republican Senate primary