Andrew Gillum’s extraordinary bid to become Florida’s first elected black governor is over.
A recount of more than 8 million ballots that ended Thursday afternoon confirmed that Republican Ron DeSantis beat the Tallahassee mayor in the nationally watched race that galvanized progressives across the country.
The final tally, which will be certified next week was 4,075,879 for DeSantis and 4,042,195 for Gillum.
The margin of victory was enough for DeSantis, a former congressman representing Jacksonville, to avoid a hand recount of questionable ballots set aside for further review. He had already assembled a transition team to prepare for his ascendance as Florida’s 46th governor.
The deadline for the recount was 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Thursday but Palm Beach County, a Democratic stronghold, did not complete its recount. It was the only one of Florida’s 67 counties that failed to do so.
The victory by DeSantis, an ardent supporter of President Donald J. Trump, keeps the governor’s mansion in GOP hands, where it has been since 1999. READ MORE: