“Miami-Dade County announced today that it has finished counting votes for the 2018 election. But photos obtained by Miami New Times show scores of mail-in ballots sitting inside an Opa-locka mail distribution center.”
Trump Floats Democratic Conspiracy In Florida
President Trump called the delay in tallying ballots in Florida “a disgrace” and sought to tie the ongoing vote count to a conspiracy he claimed exists to undermine Republicans by Democratic operatives, Politico reports.
Said Trump: “All of a sudden they’re finding votes out of nowhere.”
Parties Go to War In Florida
First Read: “We guess it’s only fitting — and expected — that Election Day 2018 is far from over, with drama and controversies over new vote counts and/or upcoming recounts in Arizona, Florida and Georgia.”
“But what is taking place in Florida is now war – after Republican Rick Scott’s lead in the Senate contest was reduced to just 15,000 votes. Scott, the state’s current governor, filed a lawsuit accusing Democrats of fraud and trying to steal the election. President Trump weighed in, tweeting: ‘Law Enforcement is looking into another big corruption scandal having to do with Election Fraud in #Broward and Palm Beach. Florida voted for Rick Scott!'”
“What happens when you have a 2000-like recount in our current Trump Era – not only in Florida, but also in Arizona and Georgia? Well, we’re about to find out. The following weeks in Florida could very well define the state over the next two years, and it’s likely to produce a result where half of the state won’t believe it’s legitimate.”
Florida Prepares for Massive Recount
Politico: “Election officials, campaign operatives and lawyers across Florida are gearing up for massive recounts in large part due to a familiar problem: Broward County, which has been saddled with election controversies ever since the disputed 2000 presidential race.”
“All eyes are on that problematic South Florida county – Florida’s second largest and one of its most Democratic – as it lags nearly every other in the state in reporting ballot tallies. The county’s results could help decide the races for U.S. Senate, governor and agriculture commissioner, which are headed for recounts.”
Florida Teacher Finds Ballot Box Left Behind
A Florida teacher told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that she discovered a locked ballot box that was left behind at a polling site at her school.
Democrats Lead In Top Florida Races
A new Quinnipiac poll in Florida finds Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) leading Gov. Rick Scott (R) in the U.S. Senate race by seven points, 51% to 44% among likely voters.
In the race for governor, Andrew Gillum (D) leads Ron DeSantis (R) by the same margin, 50% to 43%.
Said pollster Peter Brown: “There is little difference in the two races. Both leaders ran up double-digit leads among women; whites went heavily for the GOP candidates while non-whites went even more so for the Democrats.”
Democrats Ahead In Florida Races
A new NBC News/Marist poll in Florida finds Andrew Gillum (D) leading Ron DeSantis (R) in the race for governor, 50% to 46%.
in the U.S. Senate race, Sen. Bill Nelson (D) leads Gov. Rick Scott (R), 50% to 46%.
Perdue Says Florida Race Is ‘Cotton Pickin’ Important
During a rally for Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis (R), Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue used the term “cotton-pickin” to describe the importance of Florida’s gubernatorial race, which also features Andrew Gillum (D), who is running to be the state’s first black governor, Politico reports.
Said Perdue: “Public policy matters. Leadership matters. And that is why this election is so cotton-pickin’ important to the state of Florida. I hope you all don’t mess it up.”
Down to the Wire In Florida
A new St. Pete Polls survey in Florida finds Andrew Gillum (D) just ahead of Ron DeSantis (R) in the race for governor, 48% to 46%.
In the U.S. Senate race, Gov. Rick Scott (R) edges Sen. Bill Nelson (D), 49% to 48%.
Trump Goes All In on Florida
“More than any other state, President Trump has staked his reputation and his political clout on Florida, a state with one of his most prominent political acolytes running for governor, the place where he spends perhaps more time than anywhere else outside of the White House, and a state he’ll return to twice this week in an effort to stave off an embarrassing loss,” the Washington Post reports.
“But beset by natural disasters, alleged bombmakers, and a race-inflected campaign, Florida is at risk of becoming a problem for Republicans that could have implications that reach far beyond the election taking place in seven days.”
Trump Fears Florida Wipeout
“The White House is planning a political rescue mission in Florida, fearing a wipeout in a key swing state next month that could damage President Trump’s reelection hopes,” Politico reports.
“Trump is expected to visit the state at least twice, according to two people familiar with the plans. Visits from several Cabinet members are likely, as well. Presidential text messages are being sent to Floridians who still haven’t cast their absentee ballots. And discussions are underway about blanketing the state with robocalls from Trump.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist. I’m simply saying the racists believe he’s a racist.”
— Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum (D), quoted by the HuffPost, on challenger Ron DeSantis (R).
FBI Agent Gave ‘Hamilton’ Tickets to Gillum
Tampa Bay Times: “Undercover FBI agents paid for Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum’s hotel room and his ticket to the Broadway musical Hamilton during a 2016 trip to New York City, according to a bombshell trove of records that raises new questions two weeks before the Nov. 6 election for Florida governor.”
“Gillum’s campaign has maintained — and continued to do so Tuesday after the records were released — that Gillum’s brother, Marcus, handed him the ticket the night of the show. But text messages at the time of the trip show Gillum was told the tickets came from ‘Mike Miller,’ an FBI agent looking into city corruption who was posing as a developer.”
Gillum Leads for Florida Governor
A new Quinnipiac poll in Florida finds Andrew Gillum (D) leading Ron DeSantis (R) in the race for governor. 52% to 46%.
Said pollster Peter Brown: “The GOP has faced strong opposition from women and other anti-Trump voters. These defections have hurt GOP candidates around the country and made it difficult to attract the numbers of independent voters that are often major players in successful campaigns. Here in Florida that has translated into an 18-point Gillum lead among independent voters.”
Democrats Lead In Florida
A new CNN/SSRS poll in Florida finds Andrew Gillum (D) holds a wide 12-point edge over Rep. Ron DeSantis (R) in the race for governor, 54% to 42%.
In the U.S. Senate race, Sen. Bill Nelson (D) leads Gov. Rick Scott (R) by five points, 50% to 45%.
Quote of the Day
“They aren’t trying to sell people on Ron DeSantis or his vision. They’re trying to terrify people of me. They want people to know I’m black… They want to focus people on I’m different, not like everybody else – dangerous.”
— Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum (D), in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times.
Gillum Says DeSantis Is ‘Uniquely Dislikable’
Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum (D) told the Tampa Bay Times that rival Ron DeSantis (R) is “a uniquely unlikeable candidate.”
Said Gillum: “He’s easily dislikable. I don’t think anybody could spend a lot of time with him and walk away feeling inspired or encouraged or believe that he in some way knows what it means to to live their life. They realize they can’t package him in that way.”
He added: “I’ve heard from Republican members of congress DeSantis would go on these congressional trips with them and he’d put on his headphones and not talk to them the entire time.”
Hurricane Aftermath Threatens Florida Election Chaos
Politico: “As tens of thousands of voters in Florida’s storm-tossed Panhandle try to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Michael, their communities are grappling with yet another problem — an election season thrown into disarray. With power out in many areas and phone lines down, it’s still not clear how many voters across the state have been affected. Nor is it clear which voter precincts were damaged, or what exactly the state should do to make voting easier for survivors and the displaced.”
“Then there are the more crass political considerations. The state’s Senate and gubernatorial races are virtually tied at the moment — and 8 of the 11 counties without power, an area affecting 135,000 customers, are Republican-performing counties.”
