After hours of waiting on results, GOP gubernatorial nominee Rick Scott finally took the stage at the Ft. Lauderdale Hilton at approximately 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning to tell supporters that he had won the race to be Florida’s next governor.
Official numbers show Scott with a 72,000-vote lead, though several areas — specifically Palm Beach County — still show uncounted ballots.
“After all the votes are counted, I am absolutely confident I will be the next governor of Florida,” Scott said. “We look forward to finishing the count, we know we will win and look forward to putting our state back to work.”
Scott staffers believe that the remaining ballots would have to break for Democrat Alex Sink at an unlikely ratio in order for the result to change. Sink has not conceded, but the tone of her statement suggests that the campaign is likewise aware of the odds.
“We’re going to make sure that every Floridian’s voice will be heard. And we will not stop until every ballot is counted,” Sink wrote to supporters in an email.
Scott’s remarks were brief, but the campaign said it will likely present a victory speech Wednesday after final numbers come in. Despite the late night, several hundred fans stuck through until the end.