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Recount Looms Larger, Legal Action Begins As Margins Narrow In Key Florida Races

MATIAS J. OCNER
/
Miami Herald
Jorge Porras, 48, leaves his polling place after casting his vote at his precinct in Snapper Creek Elementary School in Sunset on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

As the U.S. Senate race between Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Bill Nelson appears headed to a statewide recount, both candidates are mobilizing teams of lawyers and legal skirmishes are well underway.

The statewide race for commissioner of agriculture and consumer services is even narrower, according to vote totals posted Thursday morning, and even the governor’s race between Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis is nearing the threshold for a recount.

As of Thursday morning, Scott led Nelson by 21,899 votes or .26 percent of 8.2 million ballots cast, making it likely the closest Senate race in Florida’s history, according to the state Division of Elections web site. Matt Caldwell led Nikki Fried in the agriculture commissioner race by 4,109 votes or .06 percent. DeSantis led Gillum by 42,938 or .52 percent. The recount threshold is .5 percent.

In a fierce scramble for votes, thousands of provisional ballots cast by people who did not have an ID or who voted at the wrong precinct are already the focus of scrutiny by both sides.

Read more at our news partner, the Miami Herald

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