TRUMP’S MAN IS NEW FLA. GOV
DeSantis in slim win over Dem Gillum
Fueled by a torrent of campaigning by President Trump, former Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis eked out a win over Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum Tuesday to become the state’s governor.
Gillum, Florida’s first black candidate for the office, had hoped to make history. But Trump went all out for DeSantis on the campaign trail, crisscrossing the state for rallies to attack Gillum — leaving pundits to describe the race as a referendum on the presidency.
“As governor, I will fight the good fight, I will finish the race, and I will keep the faith,” DeSantis said in his acceptance speech.
An emotional Gillum, in his concession, told his supporters, “I sincerely regret that I couldn’t bring it home for you.”
In the end, DeSantis garnered 49.9 percent of the vote to Gillum’s 48.9.
Still Gillum, who is just 39, vowed to remain involved in politics.
“I can guarantee you this: I’m not going anywhere,” Gillum said. “We’re going to fight; we’re going to keep fighting.”
Less than a week before voters went to the polls, Trump had tweeted, “In Florida there is a choice between a Harvard/ Yale educated man named @RonDeSantisFL who has been a great Congressman and will be a great Governor — and a Dem who is a thief and who is Mayor of poorly run Tallahassee, said to be one of the most corrupt cities in the Country!”
Trump was referring to an incident in 2016 when Gillum accepted a ticket to see the hottest show on Broadway, “Hamilton,’’ from a group that included an undercover FBI agent. The Dem has not been charged with anything.
As of early Wednesday, Democrats had won at least 13 governorships, while the GOP garnered a minimum of 18, with five still too close to call.
The battles included the extremely tight race for Georgia’s governor’s mansion.
Democrat Stacey Abrams, running to be the nation’s first female black governor, said early Wednesday that she wasn’t going to concede the tight race to Republican Brian Kemp.
“I’m here to tell you tonight that votes remain to be counted,” Abrams told a group of supporters in Atlanta at about 1:45 a.m.
Abrams was trailing Kemp by 48 percent to 51 percent with 96 percent of precincts reporting.
Abrams’ side said it believed there might be enough outstanding votes, including absentees, to trigger a run-off as a Georgia gubernatorial candidate needs to cross the 50 percent threshold to win outright.
The race had been tainted by ugly allegations of voter suppression.
At one point, a racist robocall tied to a white-supremacist group attacked Abrams and famous supporter Oprah Winfrey. Kemp denounced the call as “vile.” In other gubernatorial races:
OHIO: Trump-backed GOP candidate Mike DeWine defeated Democrat and former President Obama appointee Richard Cordray.
DeWine and Cordray had been battling to replace Republican governor and former presidential contender John Kasich, who was prevented from running again because of term limits.
Cordray — who served as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under Obama — got a visit last month from his former boss. On Sunday, Obama added in a video urging voters to back Cordray, “Your voice has power, so make sure you use it.’’
Meanwhile, DeWine was joined on the campaign trail by Trump, who said at a rally Monday in Cleveland, “Mike DeWine is going to be a great governor, and Richard Cordray is a bad person who will do a terrible job.’’
KANSAS: Democrat Laura Kelly had the backing of even two former state Republican governors as she defeated GOPer and Trump supporter Kris Kobach.
Kobach made a name for himself nationally with his harsh anti-immigration stance and a call for a Muslim “registry.’’
But Kelly has said the election wasn’t as much about Trump as economics: The state has reeled since GOP tax cuts in 2012 led to decline.
She’s the first Dem to win a statewide race in Kansas in nearly 10 years.
WISCONSIN: Democrat Tony Evers defeated Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in a close race, denying the polarizing Republican and one-time presidential candidate a third term
ILLINOIS:: Dem billionaire Hyatt Hotel heir J.B. Pritzker easily won the governor’s mansion, flipping the seat to blue with his defeat of Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner.