So disappointed in Florida.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Bill Nelson was a temperate civil servant who served the state of Florida's interests well and never put his interests over theirs.

[rzemanfl]

1. +1. K&R.

[uponit7771]

2. K&R, Desantis is an openly white supremacist person who is a certified idiot

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. He received 14% of the African American vote. Scott only received 10%

How could that happen?

[Garrett78]

58. Ignorance and internalized racism.

[Polybius]

59. But getting more than Scott doesn't make sense

Scot is no Saint, but not nearly as racist as DeSantis.

[Roland99]

11. My big concern with DeRacist is his incompetence

I fear he will turn this state into a shithole with feckless fake leadership and his cowardice

[uponit7771]

48. +1

[scarletlib]

4. His greatest fault in Florida:

A decent man who tried to serve the State.

[Demsrule86]

5. I am sad too...but I thought Nelson still had a chance?

[NoMoreRepugs]

6. NASA might be in Florida but even they can't raise the

collective intelligence level enough to prevent many Floridians voting against ones own self interests.

Yes, I have lived in Florida since 1998.

[llmart]

15. NASA

My son is an engineer at NASA. He tells me there are plenty of conservatives who sit near him - men mostly - who vote Republican. The younger people, both men and women at NASA are more likely to vote Democratic.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

26. +1

[ProfessorGAC]

42. I Get That A Lot Around Here

What i see among engineers is a very libertarian streak. Not so much the whole social conservative nutjob syndrome, but more the "low taxes, low regulation, trust the markets" streak.

The scientists, not so much. Much more liberal sensibilities there.

[llmart]

44. I would think working at NASA one would tend to be more progressive.

The uneducated masses can't see any reason for space exploration. They think it's all a waste of taxpayer dollars.

[ProfessorGAC]

46. You'd Think That

You'd also think that engineers would be aware of how things work and that relying on self-regulation is a fairy tale.

But, that's not my experience.

There's a clear difference in the thought process of engineers and those trained more in the direct/pure sciences. We're wired differently.

It's not universal, of course. There are conservative scientists who vote R and liberal engineers that vote D, but in general, it's what i've been seeing for many, many years.

[TheFarseer]

60. Right

I just want to tell them very slowly, “They want you to not get funding. You know that, right? They want you to not have your job.”

[AJT]

55. That librarian streak is very prominent amoung old school

computer engineers and programmers too. I was a woman in that heavily white male dominated industry for 35 years and almost all of them were libertarian, and very racist and misogynistic.

[llmart]

64. I hope you meant "libertarian" and not "librarian". LOL

[jcgoldie]

7. So the question to me now is...

How do we find a clear path to beating Trump in 2020 without Florida... I know its still a battleground obviously, but they reaffirmed Trumpism thoroughly if they could swallow racist Desantis. Dems need a strategy for the presidency that doesn't include FLA.

[edhopper]

8. 1.5 million ex-felons

will vote in 2020, yesterday was the last hurrah of a GOP Florida.

[jcgoldie]

9. Its a start but...

How many of them will actually vote? Not trying to push stereotypes, but that hardly seems like a very reliable segment of the population when it comes to likely voters.

[edhopper]

17. Gillum lost by

less than 60,000 votes, Nelson by 40,000. The ex-felon vote should skew Dem, how many do you think need to vote to alter the elections?

[qazplm135]

34. I would expect participation rates about as low as other groups

maybe 25-30%.

So that's maybe 300-400K voters, and I feel like that's optimistic.

I would expect at least a third to 40% are going to vote for Trump, and again, that's probably optimistic. I'd need to know the racial makeup of those 1.5 million to be honest, the more white it is, the more they are voting for Trump.

So the net is probably a lot smaller than folks think IMO.

[edhopper]

49. 1 in 5 African Americans

can't vote at present because of this. That is a big Dem plus.

Demographics in this article.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article221021940.html

[obamanut2012]

31. I work with three people who have relatives who are ex felons

All are POC arrested for drug stuff as teens, all in the 40s and 50s now. All professionals. They are planning to register to vote the day they are allowed to. If only 25 percent of them do this, FL is blue from now on, not even purple.

There is a reason the FL GOP have disenfranchised ex felons in this state.

[Roland99]

10. No way they all vote. No way even close to a decent % vote

[edhopper]

18. The Felon voting law has meant 1 in 5 black voters lost their right to vote.

In a State that was just decided by 60,000 votes, there are enough votes there to change things.

[NoMoreRepugs]

50. This.

Florida, if a large percentage of that 1.6mil get registered is going to turn Florida BLUE in 2020.

[obamanut2012]

36. Again, I didn't say they would -- 1 ,illion are POC

I in 5 POC in the state. Only 25% of the 1 million vote.

THIS IS A GAME CHANGER, and you should realize that.

[Awsi Dooger]

65. It is not a game changer, no matter your all caps desperation

Yesterday the Florida numbers always looked ominous on top of early voting and somehow you're scolding me not to worry. Meanwhile, I made 11 wagers on Predictit and won every single one of them. I have been doing this for 26 years.

Now you want to pretend some vague variable is a game changer, in juvenile all caps.

Laughable. But the Happy Adjuster mindset is always laughable

[obamanut2012]

30. this

[llmart]

14. I absolutely agree with you. We cannot rely on Florida.

Old people. Wealthy people who can afford second homes there. Young people who didn't vote in vast numbers. I'd be more concerned about Ohio.

[d_r]

52. and rednecks

you forgot the rednecks

[still_one]

51. We are going to have some vibrant energentic candidates with a vision that will inspire. It should

have happened this time with Gillium, but obviously Florida hasn't experienced enough pain. 2020 perhaps.


Regardless, the rust belt is looking good for us, and if we can get Ohio we can win without Florida.


Also, the Senate looks much better for us in 2020. Republicans have many more seats to defend then Democrats


We just need to GOTV

[mcar]

12. The Senate race ain't over

Gov is very disappointing. Racism rules here in FL. Still, with the red tide disaster, teacher shortage crisis, etc, DeRacist isn't going to have an easy time of it.

[Cha]

23. Thanks for your observations,

mcar

So Nelson hasn't conceded?

[mcar]

27. No. It could be heading to automatic recount

It's under .5% thus far.

[Cha]

28. Fingers and toes crossed!

Glad Nelson is fighting!

[exboyfil]

29. No Democrat around to blame

I almost got my racist mom talked into voting for Gillum. I think she marked him and Nelson. Chances are she never sent the ballot in.

[obamanut2012]

37. I know -- Nelson could still get this

[mcar]

40. You gotta wonder how Red Tide Rick and DeRacist

racked up so many votes, while at the same time Amendment 4 passed so easily. I can't get my head around that.

[Polybius]

61. On the issues, the left consistently wins

On candidates, not as much. Go figure.

[JCMach1]

13. it's the racist vote

So, the victory was about Trump there...

So yeah, cannot be counted on in 2020

[Paladin]

16. Here's a thought: start routinely referring to the state as "FloriDUMB."

Start referring to Florida as nothing more than a third-world country (with maybe a carve-out for a single groovy college town). Start advocating that Florida be returned to Spain, with provisions made for Florida Democrats to re-settle in other areas of the country.

I am not, of course, advocating any of the foregoing actions. I just thought you ought to see what years and years of clueless, self-satisfied state bashing have been like, for those of us Democrats who call Texas (aka TexASS) our home. I trust I've made my point.

[lostnfound]

24. That's stupid. Look at the Parkland kids. The voting machinery alllowed this outcome.

The red counties count more.

We need voter-verified paper ballots and routine risk-limiting audits.

[qazplm135]

35. Parkland kids aren't enough

you CANNOT rely on the youth vote. I wish you could, but you can't.

[obamanut2012]

38. Umm... I live in FL

I get pissed when people say that about any red state. I don't get why you directed at me.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

43. No, thank you.

And I personally have never referred to Texas as TexASS.

Because I'm not in elementary school.

But I do see your point, as you have caught my attention.

[sagesnow]

19. Hold DeSantis' feet to the fire

for the entirety of his term. Speak truth to Republican's ignorant, self-serving power.

[Roland99]

20. He will likely pick 3 FL State Supreme Court Justices

[sagesnow]

22. So sad. n/t

[workinclasszero]

21. Now Florida has an open racist governor

WTH Florida?

[Honeycombe8]

25. I know. What a disappointment. But there may be recounts for Nelson & Gillum.

Probably won't change anything, but recounts should be insisted on, if it's that close. A full recount.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

32. Would a repub ask for a recount? Better believe they would. No shame for Ds asking the same.

[Honeycombe8]

41. Absolutely. They fight, and then fight some more. We should do the same.

Even if it doesn't make a difference in the outcome, we will KNOW that all votes were counted, and what the real final numbers are.

If we don't fight, I don't trust them to count all the remaining votes. We will never know how close we came.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

45. +1

[obamanut2012]

39. Nelson may have a slight chance -- hoping!

[Goodheart]

33. I think Nelson got victimized by anti-Gillum racism

He would have won and so would have a white gubernatorial candidate. Instead, the white nationalists came out in force.

I just informed my two Florida sisters that they can kiss my tourist dollars goodbye.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

47. Well, maybe Florida needs 4 - 8 years of being pissed off continually by the Gov

in order to see the light. If he is really blatantly racist, he will wear on people quickly. The crude ones, like LePage or Trump, if he is like that, people will get sick of him.

[In It to Win It]

57. We have two Trumps 😞

Aside from his Trumpian governance, this was a great chance to put a check on gerrymandering. Florida is disgustingly gerrymandered and this was our chance to put a check on that at the turn of the decade.

We have no power in the Florida legislature and obviously not in the executive branch so unless we sue the state, Dems are not likely to win control of the state for at least another decade.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

63. LePage was Trump before Trump came along.

We've been through that over here in Maine. Now we've switched over to Dems. If the Republicans push their luck too much, I think they will get a huge push back from the people in 4 to 8 years. Hopefully, the adage "as goes Maine, so goes the nation" will ring true for the rest of you eventually. We had the outrageous, tea party, asshole governor for 8 years and now we've got dem majorities in the legislature and a dem governor (1st female Maine gov which is a huge deal too!). Hopefully, ranked choice voting will spread too. I think it is a good thing that will help prevent extremists from taking office because it requires at least 50% of the vote to be declared the winner. Extremists have a hard time getting that many people to support them.

[dubyadiprecession]

53. Florida will be ripe for the picking in 2020.

Florida is capable of going blue.
Fatigue will set in with having all of these republican leaders and it will change.

[sarcasmo]

54. Crocks and socks, dinner at 4 PM voters.

[In It to Win It]

56. Don't remind me! 😟 I'm genuinely scared of a DeSantis governorship

[Wintryjade]

62. Let them continue to go underwater. Not allowed to mention climate change.

Want to live with stupid. Lots of old and retired.

[Awsi Dooger]

66. Florida 2018 is among the greatest political letdowns of my lifetime

Certainly among the top handful. As someone described here last night...evil over good

Nelson didn't seem to understand the difference between this cycle and his previous races. It was like a stretch running racehorse who thought he could linger back and kick late, per usual. But this time the horse in front is much better funded and more dangerous than anything he has faced previously.

The fundamentals favored Nelson. That race should never be lost. The edge of only 55-44 among Hispanics is disaster. Nelson stayed off the airwaves and allowed Scott to diminish him for months with the,"Quien es Bill Nelson?" ads.

Gillum was a strategic gamble by our base that did not pay off. It wouldn't be so maddening other than the opponent DeSantis is not only a racist but he's not even a competent speaker or competent campaigner or competent debater or much of anything. DeSantis specializes in looking and sounding bewildered.

Yet you've got posters here saying Florida was no big deal...a loss like always. That sounds great only if you totally ignore the situational aspects of 2018, and the caliber of DeSantis. Florida at maybe 2 points red in neutral ground has to fall blue in a cycle like this.

Bill Nelson would have clubbed DeSantis. I'm not sure what Gwen Graham does against DeSantis but I know darn well you wouldn't have 46% in the exit poll indicating that Gwen Graham is too liberal for the state. We want to be pure and pretend ideology doesn't matter. Let's run our favorites. Obviously the voters disagree. It was like trying to hit a 7 iron over a 200 yard lake and wondering what could possibly go wrong? These days some top pros can carry that 200 yards with a 7 iron. But it is right on the edge of doable and you are giving yourself no margin for error...for no reason at all. I'd prefer to hit the 5 iron and know I'm safe.

Now we've got posters here pretending that all is fixed and fantastic in Florida, due to felons. What runaway stupidity. I don't mind describing it that way. I've been far too kind in prior replies. What runaway stupidity. Backed by the familiar anecdotal irrelevance.