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Reuters
TAMPA, Florida
Florida election officials on Friday were slogging through a hand recount of ballots to determine who won a hard-fought US Senate contest, with about a dozen high-profile races across the country remaining unresolved more than a week after elections.
Outgoing Republican Governor Rick Scott held a narrow lead over incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson after an electronic recount was completed on Thursday. Officials have until noon on Sunday to tally any votes missed by electronic voting machines.
Scott's campaign has called on Nelson to drop out, saying it was mathematically impossible to make up the difference of about 12,600 votes, 0.15 percent of the more than 8 million ballots cast. Nelson's lawyer, Marc Elias, says he expects Scott's lead to ultimately disappear as the recount continues.
Nelson has accused Scott of trying to undermine the recount through unsubstantiated accusations of voter fraud and has said Scott, who as governor is also in charge of election oversight, should recuse himself from the process. Republican President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Democrats of voter fraud, contrary to evidence.
Scenes of thousands of people across the state reviewing ballots brought back memories of Florida's 2000 presidential recount, which ended only after the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in, effectively handing the presidency to Republican George W. Bush.
The result of the Nelson-Scott race will not change the balance of power in the Senate, where Republicans extended their lead in the Nov. 6 midterm vote, while Democrats took a majority in the House of Representatives.
In another tight Florida contest, Republican Ron DeSantis appeared to secure the governor's seat over Democrat Andrew Gillum after the electronic recount showed DeSantis with an 0.4 percentage point lead, outside the threshold to trigger a hand recount. The state is scheduled to certify results Tuesday.
Georgia officials may certify as soon as 5 p.m. ET (2200 GMT) Friday the results in the governor's contest between Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacy Abrams.
