The Florida gubernatorial race was one of the most watched in the nation. Spending in the race was the highest in the nation topping $150 million. At 11:20 p.m., Charlie Crist (D-FL) called Rick Scott (R-FL) and conceded the race to Scott.
Crist’s defeat marks a decline for Florida. Instead of moving forward and away from the backwards and scandalous policies of Scott, the state chose more of the same.
Scott had faced low approval ratings for years and his reelection certainly spells disaster for those who would benefit from expanded Medicaid availability under the Affordable Care Act, which Scott denied.
“It’s time to put all the division behind us and come together. Forget the partisanship. Florida is a mission – and that is to keep growing. I will not let up,” said Scott.
That partisanship, which Scott says needs to be forgotten, was critical to his reelection. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “White voters overwhelmingly supported Scott.” Whereas, “Voters without a college degree favored Scott over Crist, as did voters earning more than $100,000 a year…”
From the Tampa Bay Times:
Exit polls conducted for the Associated Press and networks found that Crist was strongest among African-Americans, Hispanics, moderates and younger voters. African-Americans supported Crist over Scott by almost 8-to-1, and Crists’s support among Hispanics was almost 20 points higher than it was for Scott. In fact, Scott’s support among Hispanics dropped by around a dozen points compared to the 2010 gubernatorial race. Crist also appealed to voters under the age of 40, and also voters who identified themselves as “moderate.”
So Rick Scott’s claims that the state is moving forward and growing seem to poorly reflect his constituency. He’s the governor of the old GOP, not the governor of the future that Florida needs.
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Joshua is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. You can follow him on Twitter @Joshual33. |
