Democratic US senator eyes recount in battleground Fla. race
FILE PHOTO: Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) speaks in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 3, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, seeking to hold onto his seat in Florida, vowed on Wednesday to pursue a recount in his race against his Republican challenger and close Trump ally Rick Scott.
Unofficial results showed Nelson trailing Scott by less than one-half of a percentage point. A statement from Nelson said state law required a recount when candidates were within such a margin.
“The deadline is noon Saturday, or perhaps longer under certain circumstances, to determine whether the recount proceeds under law,” the statement said, adding that further steps were needed to recheck vote tallies before proceeding.
A representative for Scott, Florida’s outgoing governor, dismissed the idea that the race was too close to call.
“This race is over,” Scott spokesman Chris Hartline said in a statement. “It’s a sad way for Bill Nelson to end his career. He is desperately trying to hold on to something that no longer exists.”
Fox News had projected that Scott would win. But on Wednesday morning, Nelson said Scott had “prematurely claimed victory” after the Fox projection.
Reporting by Susan Heavey and Letitia Stein; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Trott
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