And it’s over. For real this time. Andrew Gillum has conceded for the second time to Ron DeSantis in the race for Florida governor.
Can you imagine if Dems had somehow won what with all the recount craziness over there? This is excellent news for Trump & his 2020 campaign for re-election.
FOX News is reporting:
Democrat Andrew Gillum conceded Saturday to GOP challenger Ron DeSantis in their contentious race in Florida for the governor’s mansion.
The announcement from Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, came via a Facebook Live post made alongside his wife.
Gillum said he wanted “to congratulate Mr. DeSantis on becoming the next governor of the great state of Florida.”
#TeamGillum, our fight continues.
Posted by Andrew Gillum on Saturday, November 17, 2018
The candidate also took to Twitter about his concession.
Most importantly, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for being part of this campaign. I wouldn’t be here without the support that was shown by millions of Floridians. I encourage y’all to keep fighting for what we believe in.
— Andrew Gillum (@AndrewGillum) November 17, 2018
“I want to congratulate @RonDeSantisFL on becoming the next Governor of the great state of Florida. My wife R. Jai and I could not be prouder of the way we ran this race,” Gillum tweeted. “Most importantly, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for being part of this campaign. I wouldn’t be here without the support that was shown by millions of Floridians. I encourage y’all to keep fighting for what we believe in.”
Gillum had conceded to DeSantis on election night, but retracted it after the margin between the two candidates narrowed. The race went to a legally required recount, but after an initial machine recount DeSantis still led Gillum by more than 30,000 votes.
In his Facebook post, Gillum said that “although nobody wanted to be governor more than me, this was not just about an election cycle.”
“This was about creating the kind of change in this state that really allows for the voices of everyday people to show up again in our government and our state and our communities,” he said. “We know that this fight continues in spite of the outcome of this election, R.J. and I are committing ourselves alongside each and every one of you.”
In response to Gillum’s concession, DeSantis tweeted: “This was a hard-fought campaign. Now it’s time to bring Florida together.”
This was a hard-fought campaign. Now it’s time to bring Florida together. https://t.co/I1hB0vd3kb
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantisFL) November 17, 2018
Trump also congratulated Gillum.
Congratulations to Andrew Gillum on having run a really tough and competitive race for Governor of the Great State of Florida. He will be a strong Democrat warrior long into the future – a force to reckon with!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2018
Now we’re all set to win Florida again in 2020 & Keep America Great!