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Florida Governor-elect Byron Donalds warned Democrats on Wednesday not to make investigations, impeachments and subpoenas their top priority after winning control of Congress in the midterm elections, saying voters want lower gas prices, cheaper groceries and relief from the rising cost of living.
Donalds told CNN's Dana Bash on Wednesday that the Republican Party needed to be "laser focused" on "gas, affordability, housing costs, food" — and that if the party lowers costs, "elections will take care of themselves."
Donalds made the same point on Fox News' "Hannity" after his win. "As I traveled Florida, voters are NOT interested in impeachments and subpoenas. They want gas prices down and grocery prices down," he said, predicting that "Democrats ARE going to over reach."
"When I was traveling the state of Florida, talking to voters in every county of our state, that was the number one issue on their mind — gas, affordability, housing costs, food," Donalds told CNN. "And I think that as a party, we need to be laser focused on those ideas, on those issues and on lowering those costs for the future of the country."
Speaking on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday, Donalds said Americans' frustrations about gas and diesel prices "boiled over" against Republicans on Election Day. "I think, look, when you talk to people on the ground, gas prices are a major problem. I think people were looking at the price of gas, the price of diesel, and I think those frustrations boiled over," he said. He added that many Republicans either did not vote or voted for Democrats, and that the party has a responsibility to address that frustration.
Donalds' warning comes as Democrats prepare to use their newly won congressional majorities. Democrats will hold subpoena power in the new Congress, and party leaders have said they plan a broad oversight agenda into President Donald Trump, his family and his administration. The Associated Press reported before the election that impeachment of the president and Cabinet officials was "not off the table," and Representative Robert Garcia of California, who is in line to chair the House Oversight Committee, posted "Lawyer up" within minutes of the Democrats retaking the House.
Donalds won Florida's governor race on Tuesday, defeating former Representative David Jolly and becoming the state's first Black governor and the first Black Republican ever elected governor of any state, according to the Fox News Decision Desk. His margin stood at about 1.4 percent on Tuesday night, far narrower than the 13 points by which Trump carried Florida in 2024, in a race that proved much more competitive than expected.
At his victory watch party, Donalds acknowledged that many Floridians are struggling with insurance bills and bank accounts. "My mission as Florida's next governor is to make sure that they can build a great life here in the great state of Florida," he said. His campaign said it knocked on more than 2.2 million doors, centering the race on insurance costs, housing costs and education.