Florida governor election results: Republican Rick Scott prevails in tight race
(Read article summary)Democrat Alex Sink concedes even before the full Florida governor election results are known. Rick Scott, who spent nearly $75 million of his own money, benefited from a rising GOP tide.
The Florida gubernatorial election turned out to be every bit as close as the polling in recent weeks suggested.
But by mid-morning Wednesday, the result was finally official: Republican Rick Scott – who spent nearly $75 million of his own money on his campaign – is the winner. Democrat Alex Sink, the state’s chief financial officer, conceded defeat, opting not to wait until every ballot was counted.
Mr. Scott is a first-time politician whose primary win over a more established candidate was a surprise.
He’s a former health-care CEO who was forced to resign amid a scandal over Medicare billing practices in 1997, and he barely met the seven-year Florida residency requirement to run.
Despite being a political novice, Scott ran a relatively strong campaign and benefited from the Republican tide sweeping across the country, and particularly across Florida. Sen.-elect Marco Rubio – a young conservative tea party favorite who won the GOP primary – got nearly 50 percent of the vote in a three-way race.
