Gillum concedes Florida governor's race
Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum concedes in the Florida governor race following recount.
Democrat Andrew Gillum conceded Saturday to GOP challenger Ron DeSantis in their contentious race for the Florida governor’s mansion.
The announcement from Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, came via a Facebook Live post made alongside his wife.
Gillum said he wanted "to congratulate Mr. DeSantis on becoming the next governor of the great state of Florida."
Gillum also tweeted about his concession.
"I want to congratulate @RonDeSantisFL on becoming the next Governor of the great state of Florida. My wife R. Jai and I could not be prouder of the way we ran this race," Gillum tweeted. "Most importantly, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for being part of this campaign. I wouldn’t be here without the support that was shown by millions of Floridians. I encourage y’all to keep fighting for what we believe in."
Gillum had conceded to DeSantis on election night, but retracted it after the margin between the two candidates narrowed. The race went to a legally required recount, but after an initial machine recount, DeSantis still led Gillum by more than 30,000 votes.
In his Facebook post, Gillum said that "although nobody wanted to be governor more than me, this was not just about an election cycle."
"This was about creating the kind of change in this state that really allows for the voices of everyday people to show up again in our government and our state and our communities," he said. "We know that this fight continues in spite of the outcome of this election, R.J. and I are committing ourselves alongside each and every one of you."
In response to Gillum's concession, DeSantis tweeted: "This was a hard-fought campaign. Now it's time to bring Florida together."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Fox News' Heather Lacy and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
