In Florida, Scott defeats Nelson after manual recount
Incumbent Democrat loses by 10,000 votes in Senate race
The results of the manual recount are in and show Rick Scott beating Bill Nelson by some 10,000 votes.
Barring any further legal challenges from the Nelson campaign, the outgoing governor will become Florida’s junior senator in January, joining fellow Republican Marco Rubio in the Senate. It will be the first time since Reconstruction that the state has had two GOP senators.
Scott issued a statement Sunday saying Nelson “graciously conceded” their Senate race shortly after the state’s recount ended. The final results show Scott defeated Nelson by just over 10,000 votes out of 8 million cast. Nelson released a videotaped statement later Sunday.
Democrat Nikki Fried hung on through the recount process to defeat Republican Matt Caldwell in the agriculture commission race by 6,753 votes out of more than 8 million cast. She will replace Nelson as the only Democrat holding statewide office in Florida.
Republican Ron DeSantis, a former congressman, will be the state’s next governor after Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum conceded Friday afternoon. A machine recount that ended Thursday showed DeSantis with a 32,463 vote lead.
For Nelson, 76, this could be the final act in a career in public service that began in 1972, when he was elected to represent the Space Coast in the Florida Legislature. He subsequently served in Congress and as the state’s insurance commissioner before being elected to his first of three terms to the Senate in 2000.
The loss to Scott was only the second in a career that also included 14 election victories.