Charlie Crist Concedes FL Election, Loses For Third Time In Four Years
Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist called his opponent, incumbent Republican Rick Scott, around midnight to concede defeat in Tuesday’s election. This marks the third time Crist has lost, for three different parties, in the last four years.
Crist, a career politician, was defeated by Marco Rubio in the Republican primary in 2010, then was defeated as an independent by Rubio again in the 2010 general election.
According to CNN, Crist made the decision to concede a hard fought battle after he felt the gap in votes grew too large.
“Losing is not fun. But what is most important is that we come together as a state. This was a tough election, and I understand that. I wish Gov. Scott the best. And his family. But I wish the best also for our state.”
While exit polls and initial precinct reports showed a close race, once all votes were counted, Scott had a comfortable margin of 1.21 percent (71,476 votes). Florida mandates an automatic recount for results within 0.5 percent.
Crist’s concession came only after a losing battle to keep the polls open late in Broward County. According to the Sun Sentinel, power outages and voter confusion led Crist to request an extra 30 minutes for voters at the polls. Circuit Judge Jack Tuter denied Crist’s request, citing concerns about the validity of the request being filed so late in the day.
According to a report by the Inquisitr, Florida also saw the defeat of a proposed legalized marijuana law as Proposition 2 only garnered 57.5 percent out of the necessary 60 percent.
Crist’s defeat was one of many on the night for Democrats. According to CNN, Republicans increased their lead in the House of Representatives and wrestled control of the Senate from the Democrats. The convincing victory sees the Republicans in full control of Congress for the first time since 2006. Republicans now control 246 seats in the House of Representatives and 52 seats in the Senate. Virginia, Alaska, and Louisiana have yet to finalize their senate races.
Democratic President Barack Obama, accustomed to majority control of Washington throughout his presidency, is now forced to reach across the aisle to work with Republican lawmakers, In a report from Reuters, White House spokesman Josh Earnest states the president is prepared to build new relationships.
“The president is going to continue to look for partners on Capitol Hill, Democrats or Republicans, who are willing to work with him on policies that benefit middle-class families.”
Tuesday’s results see Charlie Crist on the outside looking in yet gain. After losing as a Republican to a Republican, then as an Independent to a Republican, Crist tried again as a Democrat. Unfortunately for Crist, 2014 was not kind to Democrats, and he found himself on the losing end for the third, and probably final, time.
[Photo courtesy of Tampabay.com]
