Florida state Rep. Matt Caldwell officially conceded Monday to Democratic candidate for Florida agriculture commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried, ascribing his loss to “abject failures” by election officials in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
“All I have ever expected since Election Day is a full and fair accounting of all legal votes cast, and then respecting the will of the voters,” Caldwell wrote Monday in a letter to Floridians. “Unfortunately, as a result of the abject failures in Broward and Palm Beach, it has become clear that we may never gain an understanding of what transpired in the hours and days after polls closed, despite the exhaustive efforts of my legal team to get to the truth. To continue this legal challenge would likely require millions of dollars and months to complete without providing any more clarity.”
In a separate letter to Florida’s Secretary of State Ken Detzner, Caldwell listed examples of mistakes made, including missed tally submission deadlines, more than 2,000 misplaced ballots, and improper votes mixed with some validly cast, most of which occurred in Broward County. He also implored Detzner to consider introducing a host of electoral reforms.
“These are not mere technicalities, but substantive errors that go to the heart of our democratic system of government,” Caldwell wrote.
Caldwell was bested in a tight contest against Fried, who won the election by only 6,753 votes out of about 8 million cast after state-mandated machine and manual recounts. Fried replaces Republican Adam Putnam, who was term-limited.
Fried, now the only Democrat to hold statewide office in Florida, will become the first woman to head the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Broward County public defender and weed activist campaigned on gun control, expanded access to medical marijuana, and her understanding of the farming community.
Caldwell’s concession comes one day after Broward County Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes submitted her resignation following the series of snafus. Snipes was first appointed to the position by former Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush in 2003.
