Could data center backlash flip Florida?

<figure> <img alt="David Jolly and Byron Donalds in the shape of Florida with glitchy effects." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/268813_FLORIDA_DATA_CENTERS_CVirginia.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph">Patti Zirhut, a lifelong Republican, has been studying her ballot for weeks. Zirhut eagerly voted for President Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024, but she isn't toeing the party line this year. "My ballot is all mixed up," she says. She's voting for some Republicans, some independents, and even a few Democrats. Zirhut remains undecided on a few races, but of one thing she is absolutely certain: "I will not vote for Byron Donalds," she tells me. "No way will I ever vote for him."</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Donalds, the Republican nominee in Florida's gubernatorial election, has Trump's endorsement, the party's backing, and $148 million in campaign funds, much of it …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/1024357/florida-governors-race-donalds-jolly-data-centers">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>