Florida Gov. Rick Scott held off Democratic challenger Charlie Crist on Tuesday in one of the most contentious, tight, expensive and unusual gubernatorial races this year.
The race caps a noteworthy turnaround for Scott, who suffered historically low voter approval ratings soon after he took office in 2011, and deflates Crist’s political comeback after he served as a Republican governor of the Sunshine State from 2007 to 2011. With 99 percent of the votes counted, Scott led Crist 48 percent to 47 percent out of more than 5.5 million votes cast. Independent Adrian Wyllie had 4 percent of the vote and may have played a key role in tipping the race.
Democratic leaders had been in overdrive in recent weeks trying to persuade Florida voters that Crist was the right man to defeat Scott and recapture the governor’s mansion for Democrats for the first time in two decades. First lady Michelle Obama campaigned for Crist last month, and President Obama cut a recent radio ad that ran on stations with large African-American audiences.
But as Florida’s economy and job growth slowly improved the past two years, so did Scott’s job approval. And many Democrats remained unconvinced of Crist’s Democratic bona fides.
Scott, the former head of the Columbia/HCA hospital chain, also had an estimated personal fortune estimated to be more than $130 million at his disposal.
Crist was a soaring GOP star when voters elected him governor in 2006, and he even was mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate two years later.
But his popularity began to crater, partly because he embraced President Obama’s economic stimulus bill. After trailing Tea Party-backed Marco Rubio for the Republican Senate nomination in 2010, Crist became an independent, allowing him to bypass the primaries and land on the general election ballot. The move didn’t work, as Rubio easily won. Crist then joined the Democratic Party late in 2012.
The candidates clashed fiercely during TV ads and in person. In the race’s final debate two weeks ago, Crist called Scott “out of touch” with regular Floridians, while Scott called Crist a “divider” who switched parties and policies to further his political career.
The race may be best remembered for “fangate,” a controversy that stirred when Crist’s campaign brought in an electric fan and placed it beneath his lectern during an October debate. Scott’s campaign said that violated debate rules, and in response, Scott did not appear on stage for seven minutes.
