Rick Scott, currently the Governor of Florida, has won a tough Senate race in Florida. A hand recount of the votes shows Scott 10,033 votes ahead of incumbent Senator Bill Nelson (D), who has conceded.
“Now the campaign truly is behind us,” Scott said, “and that’s where we need to leave it. We must do what Americans have always done: come together for the good of our state and our country.”
Scott has been a longtime supporter of statehood for Puerto Rico. When 97% of voters chose statehood in the 2017 plebiscite, Scott called for Congress to “respect the will of the people of Puerto Rico.” He recently tweeted, “As I have always said, the will of the Puerto Rican voters should be respected – and it’s clear they have voted in favor of statehood.”
Numerous Puerto Rico leaders weighed in with support for Scott. Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon (R), the Resident Commissioner for Puerto Rico, and former Puerto Rico Governor Carlos Romero Barceló (D) were among the bipartisan supporters
“I want to thank everybody who came from Puerto Rico to help,” Scott said to cheers during his victory speech.
Nelson also spoke up for statehood as the campaign drew to a close, but he had not shown the same ongoing support in the past.
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