Ron DeSantis Defeats Andrew Gillum to Become Florida’s Governor

Republican Ron DeSantis defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum to become Florida’s next governor on Nov. 6.

Gillum conceded the Florida governor race. “I sincerely regret that I couldn’t bring it home for you, but I can guarantee you this: I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to fight,” he said.

DeSantis, a 40-year-old former congressman, told a crowd: “Not bad for a kid who started making $6 an hour. Throughout the campaign I knew the only thing I could control was how hard I worked,” the Naples News reported.

“We didn’t shrink from the challenges, we didn’t shrink from power,” Gillum added, according to TampaBay.com. “We stood up, we stood strong, we spoke out.”

The Miami Herald reported that he won Florida by about 56,000 votes.

Republican candidate for Florida governor Ron DeSantis speaks during an event put on by the Police Benevolent Association in Palm Beach County, on Oct. 3, 2018. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

“I spent a lot of time working on this campaign with Ron and the team. It was a little dicey at times but I’m really happy about where we are,” said state Rep. Byron Donalds. “This shows the new wave of Republican leadership in our country. Ron’s a young guy, I’m a young guy, Gaetz is a young guy, so it’s really about what the future of our party looks like.”

“The great thing about our country is the people have that one day in November where the elites don’t call the shots,” DeSantis said, TampaBay.com reported. “On Election Day it’s the voice of the people that rule.”

He also thanked President Donald Trump “for standing by when it wasn’t probably the smart thing to do.”