Florida Statewide Races Go Republican

There was no blue wave in Florida’s statewide races. Once again the polls were wrong in the Sunshine State.

GOVERNOR’S RACE

The election for Florida’s Governor hasn’t just been the race to watch in Florida, it’s been a race people all over the country have been keeping a close eye on. In the end, GOP candidate Ron DeSantis won by a thin margin over Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum.

Back in August, Gillum pulled off a surprise during the Democratic primary in the state. Many thought Gwen Graham (daughter to former Florida Governor Bob Graham) had the race in the bag. What pollsters didn’t take into account was Gillum, the Mayor of Tallahassee had people voting for him who were considered “unlikely voters,” so they weren’t polled. If he would have pulled off the win he would have become the state’s first black Governor.

As for DeSantis, he easily won the Republican nomination. He ran on a platform that showed he would mirror Trump’s policies. He even had an ad that proclaimed his love for Trump’s wall, the MAGA phrase and more. And from day one his campaign was consumed by controversy. Hours after DeSantis learned he would face Gillum in the general election he told Fox News that he didn’t want Gillum to “monkey this up.” The racially charged phrase was one of many that would plague his campaign, but in the end, it doesn’t seem to have made a huge difference.

Gillum ran a positive campaign hoping to inspire voters, saying he would govern all, not just the people who voted for him.

He also had a quote that will probably be in the vernacular for years to come, saying of DeSantis, “I’m not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist, I’m simply saying the racists believe he’s a racist.” That phrase has now been repeated several times over in relation to Donald Trump as well.

US News & World Reports wrote:

“There’s something Kennedyesque about Andrew. People don’t really know why – they just feel good,” says Gary Yordon, a television producer who helped film Gillum’s first campaign commercial for Tallahassee city commissioner 15 years ago. “The last five or six candidates [Democrats] put up for governor, they’ve been like oatmeal – nobody to get excited about. Andrew’s like steak and eggs.”

Florida hasn’t had a Democratic governor since 1994.

SENATE RACE

In the Senate, Florida Governor Rick Scott seems to have unseated Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. The race had been close, but recent polls had shown Nelson with a small lead. Nelson held the seat since 2001.