On Tuesday, when it appeared that Republican Ron DeSantis had clinched Florida’s gubernatorial race, Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum conceded.
During his concession speech, Gillum stated in part:
We recognize that, you know, we didn’t win it tonight. We didn’t win this transaction…
Earlier this evening, I called Mr. Ron DeSantis and congratulated him on what we expect will be him as the next governor of the great state of Florida. But I want you to know…that in spite of our congratulating him on his victory this evening, nothing that we believe in is compromised…
I want you to know that every step of this way, even though I won’t have the blessing of serving as the next governor of the state of Florida, I still plan to be on the front lines, right alongside every single one of you, when it comes to standing up for what it is that we believe in…
I still believe, and I still trust the voters. We may not have all [showed] up in the way that we thought and hoped that we would, but I still believe that there are still more of us who believe in what is common and what is decent and what is right – and I believe in the long run, good always wins out over evil.
As more votes have been counted in the days following the election, and as the Senate race between Republican Rick Scott and Democrat incumbent Bill Nelson looks as though it will be headed to an automatic recount, the gubernatorial race has similarly tightened.
As it stands Friday morning, DeSantis has a lead of just 0.44%, according to the Florida Division of Elections. If that margin holds true as more votes are tallied, an automatic recount will be triggered under Florida law.
Florida statute 102.141(7) states:
If the unofficial returns reflect that a candidate for any office was defeated or eliminated by one-half of a percent or less of the votes cast for such office, that a candidate for retention to a judicial office was retained or not retained by one-half of a percent or less of the votes cast on the question of retention, or that a measure appearing on the ballot was approved or rejected by one-half of a percent or less of the votes cast on such measure, a recount shall be ordered of the votes cast with respect to such office or measure.
In light of the narrowed margin, Gillum for Governor communications director Johanna Cervone released a statement on the candidate’s official website:
On Tuesday night, the Gillum for Governor campaign operated with the best information available about the number of outstanding ballots left to count. Since that time, it has become clear there are many more uncounted ballots than was originally reported. Our campaign, along with our attorney Barry Richard, is monitoring the situation closely and is ready for any outcome, including a state-mandated recount. Mayor Gillum started his campaign for the people, and we are committed to ensuring every single vote in Florida is counted.
NBC News reports that “the deadline for all 67 Florida counties to submit their first set of unofficial returns is Saturday at noon ET, according to the secretary of state’s office.”
The Daily Wire reached out to the DeSantis campaign for comment, but as of publication, we have not received a reply.