Nelson concedes
Dem gives up in Florida Senate race recount
Florida’s recount is over, and so is Bill Nelson’s long political career.
Official results posted Sunday for the state’s Senate race showed Republican Rick Scott ahead of incumbent Sen. Nelson following the mandated recounts. The final totals will be certified on Tuesday, but Nelson “graciously conceded” Sunday, according to Scott.
Scott, Florida’s governor, defeated Nelson by just over 10,000 votes.
“Now the campaign truly is behind us, and that’s where we need to leave it,” Scott said in a statement. “We must do what Americans have always done — come together for the good of our state and our country. My focus will not be on looking backward, but on doing exactly what I ran on: making Washington work.”
Nelson, who has been governor since 2000, said in a statement that “it has been a rewarding journey as well as a very humbling experience. I was not victorious in this race but I still wish to strongly reaffirm the cause for which we fought: A public office is a public trust.”
Scott spent $60 million of his own money on ads that portrayed Nelson as out of touch and ineffective, and Nelson responded by questioning Scott’s ethics and President Trump’s influence on him.
“From day one Rick Scott never wavered. He was a great Governor and will be even a greater Senator in representing the People of Florida. Congratulations to Rick on having waged such a courageous and successful campaign!” Trump tweeted Sunday.
Counties in Florida had until noon Sunday to finish up recounts and turn in final totals for the Senate and governor races. Democrat Andrew Gillum conceded the governor’s race to Republican Ron DeSantis on Saturday.
“This has been the journey of our lives,” said Gillum. “Although nobody wanted to be governor more than me, this was not just about an election cycle. This was about creating the type of change in this state that really allows for the voices of everyday people to show up again in our government, in our state, and in our communities. We know that this fight continues.”
Gillum had conceded to DeSantis on Election Night, but he retracted it as the margin between the candidates narrowed.
Democrats in Florida had filed several lawsuits following the close election, including a challenge of the state’s signature-mismatch law that requires signatures on voteby-mail and provisional ballots match those on file for each voter. Attorneys for Nelson had said the law violates the Constitution.
Nelson, 76, was first elected to Congress 40 years ago. He began serving in the Senate in 2000 and also served six terms in the House and as state treasurer and insurance commissioner.