Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 11-9-18

Political
Could Ron DeSantis, Andrew Gillum Race For Florida Governor
Face Recount?
Andrew Gillum con- ceded that he lost the gover- nor’s race Tuesday night, but the election could be headed for a state-mandated recount anyway.
Additional votes counted on Wednesday afternoon had cut Republican Ron DeSan- tis’ lead over the Democratic mayor of Tallahassee to 0.62 percent.
An automatic recount would be done if the margin of victory falls below 0.5 percent.
The notice for a recount would come from Secretary of State Ken Detzner, an ap- pointee of Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who also faces a recount in his campaign against incumbent U.S. Sen.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum gives concession speech.
Bill Nelson.
DeSantis claimed victory
in the hard-fought campaign against Gillum on Tuesday night.
House Rules: Dems Flip The House Of Representatives, But Not Senate
WASHINGTON — De- mocrats were gaining signifi- cant ground in the battle for House control Tuesday night, while Republicans held onto their majority in the Senate as voters weighed in on the first nationwide election in Don- ald Trump’s turbulent pres- idency.
With control of Congress, statehouses and the presi- dent’s agenda at stake, some of the nation’s top elections were too close to call.
Democrats won half the seats they needed to claim House control with dozens additional competitive con- tests remaining. Victories in contested races across Florida, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Minnesota gave them cause for opti- mism.
The Democrats’ narrow path to the Senate was slammed shut after setbacks in Indiana, Tennessee, North Dakota and Texas.
Trump’s team immedi-
ately sought to give him credit for retaining their narrow Senate majority, even as their foothold in the more compet- itive House battlefield ap- peared to be slipping.
“It’s a huge moment and victory for the president,” Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told re- porters at the White House Tuesday night.
Two issues more than any others were on voters’ minds. 25 percent described health care and immigration as the most important issues in the election, according to AP VoteCast, a national survey of the electorate. Nearly two- thirds said Trump was a rea- son for their vote.
Democrats, whose very relevance in the Trump era depended on winning at least one chamber of Congress, were laser-focused on health care as they predicted victo- ries that would break up the GOP’s monopoly in Washing- ton and state governments.
The political and practical stakes were sky-high.
Democrats could derail Trump’s legislative agenda for the next two years should they win control of the House. And they would claim sub- poena power to investigate Trump’s personal and pro- fessional shortcomings.
Some Democrats have al- ready vowed to force the re- lease of his tax returns. Others have pledged to pur- sue impeachment, although removal from office is un- likely so long as the GOP con- trols the Senate or even maintains a healthy minority.
Yet Trump’s party will maintain Senate control for the next two years, at least.
In Texas, Sen Ted Cruz staved off a tough challenge from Democrat Beto O’Rourke, whose record- smashing fundraising and celebrity have set off buzz he could be a credible 2020 White House contender.
Nelson Calls For Recount In Florida Senate Race
Washington - Florida De- mocrat Sen. Bill Nelson called Wednesday for a recount in his race for re-election against Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
In a statement from Nel- son's office, the longtime in- cumbent said Scott had prematurely declared victory in the race.
In Florida, an automatic re- count is triggered when the final margin is less than .5% and is not triggered by candi- date requests. Votes were still being counted Wednesday morning, but Scott's lead was within that margin, according to CNN projections. The initial vote count won't be finalized until Saturday at noon.
A spokesman for Scott chided Nelson over the re- quest.
"This race is over. It's a sad way for Bill Nelson to end his career," Chris Hartline said in a statement. "He is desper- ately trying to hold on to some- thing that no longer exists."
Nelson's statement said his campaign intends to have "observers in all 67 counties watching for any irregularities, mistakes or unusual partisan activities."
BILL NELSON
Broward Ballot Reporting Issues Causing Delay In Florida Senate Race
FORT LAUDERDALE – Florida’s tightly contested race for Senate is on hold possibly due to some ballot problems in Broward County.
The race for Senate be- tween Republican Rick Scott and incumbent Democrat Bill- Nelson is too close to call, with some ballots still un- counted in Broward.
Seven precincts in the county couldn’t electronically
submit results, according to the Broward Elections department. The votes were uploaded to USB drives and driven to Broward Elections headquar- ters, confirmed an election of-
ficial.
As of 11:30pm, there are
three USB drives that still haven’t arrived at headquar- ters.
We still don’t know which specific precinct numbers.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 7-A