Fla. fiasco over at last
GOPer Scott wins after recount
Republican Rick Scott was declared the winner Sunday over Democratic incumbent Florida Sen. Bill Nelson following a hand recount of the ballots nearly two weeks after the midterm elections.
Scott held a 10,033-vote lead over Nelson after the state’s Division of Elections released updated numbers Sunday afternoon from the manual recount, the Miami Herald reported.
The results of the Nov. 6 election first went to a machine recount, which showed Scott with a 0.15 percentage-point lead, a margin so narrow that a hand recount in all 67 counties was mandated.
Nelson conceded the race soon after the results of that tally were released.
“I just spoke with Senator Bill Nelson, who graciously conceded, and I thanked him for his years of public service,” Scott said in a statement shortly before 2 p.m.
“This victory would not be possible without the hard work of so many people. Now the campaign truly is behind us, and that’s where we need to leave it.”
Nelson thanked his supporters in a video message and encouraged Americans to use less toxic political rhetoric.
“We have to move beyond a politics that aims not just to defeat but to destroy, where truth is treated as disposable, where falsehoods abound, and the free press is assaulted as the ‘ enemy of the people,’ ” Nelson said.
He also pledged to continue to work on such issues as global warming.
President Trump took a victory lap Sunday on Twitter.
“From day one Rick Scott never wavered. He was a great Governor and will be an even greater Senator in representing the People of Florida,” he tweeted. “Congratulations to Rick on having waged such a courageous and successful campaign.”
Scott’s win comes one day after Democrat Andrew Gillum conceded to Republican Ron DeSantis in the Florida gubernatorial race, which also went to a recount.
Meanwhile, one of the Florida public officials who drew criticism for her handling of the elections stepped down.
Broward County elections head Brenda Snipes resigned on Sunday, days after her office missed submitting results for a machine recount by two minutes.
Elsewhere, Democrat Stacey Abrams on Thursday announced that there was no path to victory against her GOP opponent for Georgia governor, Brian Kemp.
The only remaining US Senate contest that is still undecided is the race for the seat from Mississippi. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith will defend her seat against Democrat Mike Espy in a runoff on Nov. 27.