The Florida Senate race is likely headed for a recount

Bill Nelson.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Prepare yourself for yet another contentious Florida recount.

On Wednesday, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) called for a recount in his Senate race against Gov. Rick Scott (R), CNN reports. Scott declared victory Tuesday night, but prognosticators have not actually forecast his win, and he was leading by less than .5 percent on Wednesday, Politico reports. In Florida, if a race comes down to a margin of less than half a percentage point, it automatically heads to a recount.

After initially saying he was disappointed in the results of the election, Nelson said in a statement Wednesday that "we are proceeding to a recount." Florida's 67 counties have until Saturday to finalize vote counts, which will determine whether a recount is ultimately needed.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Scott, meanwhile, is calling on Nelson to concede, with a spokesperson for the governor saying that "this race is over."

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.