Republicans declared winners after Florida recount

Florida this weekend finished recounting its ballots, and Republicans emerged victorious in two big races with national implications. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson conceded Sunday in his race against Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who won by a little more than 10,000 votes out of about 8 million cast. “We must do what Americans have always done: come together for the good of our state and our country,” Scott said in a statement after the results became official. “My focus will not be on looking backward, but on doing exactly what I ran on: making Washington work.” President Donald Trump congratulated Scott, tweeting, “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.”

Florida’s other senator, Republican Marco Rubio, praised his departing colleague from across the aisle. “I knew Bill Nelson not just as a Democratic senator, but also as a man of genuine faith, integrity and character,” he said in a statement. “A man who served our country with a dignity that is increasingly rare in our modern politics.” Nelson, who was first elected to the Senate in 2000, said he doesn’t plan to disappear from public life: “I will continue to fight hard for what’s right, and I will also encourage others to seek common ground with their colleagues … on the other side of the aisle.”

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a Democrat, conceded Florida’s governor’s race for a second time. Gillum first yielded to Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis on election night but later retracted his concession as votes were recounted. Over the weekend he acknowledged the election was settled, with DeSantis winning by a margin of only about 34,000 votes.

After a recount marred by lawsuits and accusations of ballot tampering, Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes submitted a letter of resignation, effective in January, South Florida’s Sun-Sentinel reported.