There will be a sigh of relief from the White House and Republicans across the country as a Florida recount of more than 8 million ballots confirmed Ron DeSantis has defeated Democratic Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum.
The final tally, headed to certification next week, was 4,075,445 for DeSantis and 4,041,762 for Gillum.
Gillum had trailed DeSantis by 33,684 votes before the recount began, and the margin today was trimmed by just one vote to 33,683.
The margin of victory was enough for DeSantis, a former congressman representing Jacksonville, to avoid a hand recount of questionable ballots set aside for further review.
He had already assembled a transition team to prepare for his ascendance as Florida’s 46th governor.
The victory by DeSantis, 40, who is an ardent supporter of President Trump, keeps the governor’s mansion in GOP hands, where it has been since 1999.
That’s huge news for Trump who will count on Florida’s 29 electoral votes as part of his roadmap to reelection in 2020.
Gillum did concede the race last week, but took that back earlier this week.
He and his supporters believe there is still a path to victory: lawsuits that could add more votes in support of him.
