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Midterm Recount Update
After two recounts, multiple lawsuits and loaded political rhetoric, the 12-day election marathon in Florida is finally drawing to a close, with Republicans coming out on top in both races.
- This week, outgoing Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott won the recount for the junior Senate seat over incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson with a lead of 10,033 votes.
- And in the Florida governor’s race to succeed Rick Scott, Democrat Andrew Gillum conceded Saturday night after concluding his own recount would not sufficiently close the gap with his opponent, Republican Ron DeSantis.
- Official results showed that DeSantis defeated Gillum with a winning margin of 32,463 votes, out of more than 8 million votes cast.
- The results showed Scott, Florida’s outgoing governor, defeating incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson by 10,033 votes.
- The recounts were reminiscent of the 2000 presidential election, when Florida became the laughing stock of the country by taking 5 weeks to declare George W. Bush the victor over Al Gore by 537 votes.
What’s also over is the Georgia governor’s race, where Republican Brian Kemp won by 55,000 votes (just barely over 50%). Because Kemp’s lead is so narrow, Abrams – who has claimed to be a victim of “voter suppression” since election day – says she plans to bring “a major federal lawsuit against the state of Georgia for gross mismanagement of this election.” Check her out refusing to say Kemp is the legitimate governor-elect of Georgia now.
Abrams claims voter suppression in her race, but California’s election was plagued with voter fraud. Calling in to the show to talk about that is Aja Smith, who lost her race against incumbent Democrat Mark Takano in the 41st District.
Pelosi Challenged for Speaker
Although Democrats took back control of the House this midterm, the election isn’t over for one very important person: Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
- Pelosi desperately wants to be Speaker of the House again, but is already up against 16 members of Congress who signed a letter saying they won’t support her as speaker this time around, and another 4 members who didn’t sign the letter but have publicly expressed their lack of support for her elsewhere.
- According to the New York Times: If all 435 members of the House were present and voting, Pelosi would need a majority of 218 to be elected speaker – and although Democrats now control 232 seats, 16 defectors would be enough to deny her the speakership.
- But President Trump wants to come to Nancy’s rescue! This week, the President said he would be willing to talk Republican members of Congress into voting for her if she wanted him to.
But before the President made his offer, Pelosi had already said she doesn’t want any help from Republicans. “I intend to win the speakership with Democratic votes,” she told reporters.
But can she?
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