After hard-fought campaigns in Florida, where Democratic candidates faced tough obstacles but received high-profile support from President Obama, the vote count continues and is narrowing while officials await totals from tens of thousands of mail-in and provisional ballots.
FLORIDA UPDATE:
Desantis: 49.7%
Gillum: 49.08%Vote Difference: 50,804
Tens of thousands of votes outstanding.
An automatic recount is triggered at 40,746
— Shaun King (@shaunking) November 7, 2018
Although gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum conceded his defeat to Ron DeSantis on Tuesday, the count now shows only a 42,000 vote gap with many ballots in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties left to go. All three are strong Democratic counties, with Gillum so far receiving 59.9 percent of the vote in Miami-Dade, 68 percent in Broward, and 58.2 percent in Palm Beach County.
Meanwhile, Sen. Bill Nelson faces similar numbers, falling in just 22,000 votes behind his Republican opponent, former Governor Rick Scott.
Florida governor race is now at just 6/10% difference#BREAKING: If DeSantis' lead drops to 5/10% of a difference, it triggers a recount
Can Gillum take back his concession? pic.twitter.com/VuOdSnsB0B
— Gamora?? #VoteOutHate ?? (@exoticgamora) November 7, 2018
Johanna Cervone, a spokeswoman for the Gillum campaign, issued a statement:
‘On Tuesday night, the Gillum for Governor campaign operated with the best information available about the number of outstanding ballots left to count. Since that time, it has become clear there are many more uncounted ballots than was originally reported. Our campaign, along with our attorney Barry Richard, is monitoring the situation closely and is ready for any outcome, including a state-mandated recount.’
JUST IN: Gillum may ask for recount in Florida governor's race https://t.co/3vV8cMwVlr pic.twitter.com/l5RubSkVhA
— The Hill (@thehill) November 8, 2018
While the Scott and DeSantis campaigns have already celebrated victory, the race may not yet be over. Any gap of less than one full percent can trigger an automatic recount, and Gillum and Nelson are well within reason should they request a recount.
Hold up. The Florida governor's race has tightened. Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis now have about 4 million votes each. DeSantis has a slight lead. Five precincts from Miami-Dade aren't listed. Could get automatic recount if difference is less than 0.5%. https://t.co/zCfPTeZa4a pic.twitter.com/bX5HU2jkO5
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) November 7, 2018
As the country awaits news of the composition of the upcoming Senate, the House is readying itself for its new Democratic majority.
Featured image screenshot via YouTube