Republican Sen. Rick Scott won a second term in Florida on Tuesday, defeating Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in a Senate race that Democrats had been eyeing as a potential pickup. Scott served two terms as governor of Florida before defeating then-Sen. Bill Nelson in 2018 in a race so close it went to a mandatory recount. The closeness of that race and the strengths of Mucarsel-Powell, a former congresswoman from Miami, had Democrats arguing the seat was in play. Scott has already announced he will seek to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell as majority leader in the next Congress. The Associated Press declared Scott the winner at 8:01 p.m. EST.

The Associated Press