JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — First Coast News is monitoring Florida's senate election live. The results are below.
Incumbent Rick Scott (R) has defeated Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) for a Florida U.S. Senate seat, the AP has reported.
Scott has secured 5,896,852 votes, or 55.7%, to Mucarsel-Powell's 4,517,808 votes, or 42.7%. As of 10 p.m. in Duval County, Scott secured 50.02% of votes to Mucarsel-Powell's 48.11%. That's about a 9,000-vote difference.
Scott was first elected in 2018 when he defeated incumbent Bill Nelson, a Democrat, by 50.1% to 49.9%. He was also previously the governor of Florida from 2011 to 2019. Mucarsel-Powell is a former U.S. representative for Florida's 26th Congressional District.
If elected, Scott is also seeking to be the next GOP leader if Mitch McConnell steps down along with senators John Thune of South Dakota and John Cornyn of Texas. That vote is Nov. 13.
The race has been defined as a "battleground race," meaning it's expected to have an effect on the balance of power in the Senate. Both have stopped by Jacksonville to make their case for voters.
