E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSAfter a lengthy delay, President Barack Obama has collected Florida's 29 electoral votes. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.
President Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney in Florida, NBC news reported Saturday, ending a four-day count with a thin margin of the popular vote, though substantial enough to avoid an automatic recount.
As a result, Obama garners the state's 29 electoral votes, for a national total of 332 votes to Romney's 206.
Regardless of the outcome, Obama had already clinched re-election.
The Florida Secretary of State's Office said that with almost 100 percent of the vote counted, Obama led Romney 50 percent to 49.1 percent, a difference of about 74,000 votes. That was over the half-percent margin where a computer recount would have been automatically ordered unless Romney had waived it.
There is a Nov. 16 deadline for overseas and military ballots, but under Florida law, recounts are based on Saturday's results. Only a handful of overseas and military ballots are believed to remain outstanding.
It's normal for election supervisors in Florida and other states to spend days after any election counting absentee, provisional, military and overseas ballots. Usually, though, the election has already been called on election night or soon after because the winner's margin is beyond reach.
But on election night this year, it was difficult for officials —and the media — to call the presidential race here, in part because the margin was so close and the voting stretched into the evening.
If there had been a recount, it would not be as difficult as the lengthy one in 2000. The state no longer uses punch-card ballots, which became known for their hanging chads. All 67 counties now use optical scan ballots where voters mark their selections manually.
Republican George W. Bush won the 2000 contest after the Supreme Court declared him the winner over Democrat Al Gore by a scant 537 votes.
The win gave Obama victories in eight of the nine swing states, losing only North Carolina. In addition to Florida, he won Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Virginia, Colorado and Nevada.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
Many thanks to Florida's voters!
Muchas gracias a los votantes de la Florida!
Wow Obama won in all three of the most serious aggregious corrupted states, PA, OH and FL.
Yea smart guy, and all three of them have GOP Governors as well as State Houses. So your point is what exactly, that Repubicans are crooks??? You ain't telling us anything that is not already common knowledge.
And yet all the voter suppression tactics they tried in those states didn't work. I swear I am so proud of the folks in all three for insisting their voices be heard!
From PA and I am so proud of my fellow citizens, and then corbutt maybe just mabe being under the gun for the PhewStateU/JoePerv/Sandusky/etc Coverup. Can we hope for an impeachment of the butt?
well I gotta say karl rove did a lot better when he was in the backround pulling the strings from being one of nixons dirty tricksters back in the day to being bush's brain in the last administration.. but after the Plame outing and he came out from behind the curtain into the spot light and recieved star status on fox he has gone totaly down hill from there he was always wrong about everything just now we got it all on tape ..to be played over and over least anyone forgets
my how the once mighty have fallen so fast
thank you for the ride karl and proving what the libs always new you are a lying POS
2010 happened because the Republicans told multitudes of lies about Obamacare which formed the KKK sorry I meant tea party. Look lets spin this election down to it's lowest common denominator.
The majority of the populace in the Blue States knew they were making a choice between a good decent intelligent man and a selfish, greedy, know thief and liar.
The majoity of the populace in the Red States made a choice between a Black Man and a White Man.
Sadly I think that is true.
Very True, the comments about The N-man from the scared teabaggers around Pgh, PA truly pissed me off.
People pay attention. You can call the capital anytime 1-202-225-3121, and just ask for Mich McConnells and they will put you right through. Then you can leave a message or tell one of his little lackys that we are sick of one senile old man screwing things up for the whole country or maybe tell old Mich his job is not to hate Obama but to serve the country. You can call any idiot republican you see telling BS lies on national TV and tell them what YOU think. Call The Speaker of the house and tell him exactly what you think of him and the Tea Baggers. They live in their elitest cacoon, but we still have a say. Make your views know to these arrogent greedy polititions who threw the American people under the bus.
Hm...
With the margin of victory being 74,000 votes in this case, makes one think.
When we're standing in line we take up at least 3 feet in the line.
It might not be unreasonable to visualize the extremely long line this number of votes would take in Florida (about 42 miles).
Voter suppression won't go away for a while, but neither will countermeasures...
Great outcome inspite of the attempt by their Republican governor to surpress the vote. I hope that the people will now vote him out of office at their first chance. Not only has he tarnished the State with his voter suppression tactics, but he has tried to discredit Obama by turning down funds to build a Super train between the west coast in Tampa to Orlando. This was at a time when Florida was reeling from the effects of the recession, and it would have provided thousands of jobs. This guy is a real loser! Time to hold him accountable.
AND Obama won the popular vote, 51-48. FORWARD.
OK everyone, these things seem obvious: 1) The election was a landslide. Not only 332-206 in the Electoral College, but by 3 MILLION in the popular vote. Whether or not this is a mandate is up to interpretation. 2) The voter suppression tactics used by the losing party failed. In this age of the Internet, they were caught red-handed too many times. People now prepare for stuff like that. Do I go as far as to suggest that the knowledge that one of the parties was trying to take away the strongest affirmation that we are Americans affected the election? You decide. 3) The two candidates' REAL positions were not that far apart. When the President blitzed Romney in the 3rd debate and all Romney could do was echo President Obama's positions, that became obvious. Romney went so far right because he had to do so, to win the primaries and get the big dollars from pond scum like the Kochs and Karl Rove. 4) The electorate is no longer made up of angry white racists. All of the attempts to "disqualify" the President - basically because he is black - backfired, and made the GOP look like it was drinking Jim Crow Kool-Aid. While they crowed about the President "not running on his record and attacking Romney" they were trying to do the same thing they were criticizing. The only problem was the record of a President who took over at the second worst economic time in US history saying he would halve the deficit (and he did), end the war in Iraq (and he did), pass health care legislation (and he did), save the economy from the ghastly predation (still a work in progress), was compared to a corporate raider, whose biggest claim to fame was that he helped with the Olympics. The contrast could not have been clearer. 5) Romney didn't offer anything - anything - to the American people. We know from history that the only thing that trickles down is not money. The Navy doesn't count its strength by the number of ships, but by their capabilities. The Army doesn't need more horses or bayonets (although they do have the latter). And nothing eve added up fiscally. Remember Bill Clinton's famous comment about "Arithmetic." Romney's campaign never had an answer for that. 6) The teaparty craze was just that. Nobody outside of the Koch/Armey/Rove circle ever believed that the $750K busses bringing the yahoos to town meetings had anything to do with "grass roots." So Michele Bachmann hung on, but she's a punchline like Palin from four years ago. 7) Finally, I do not believe that the Republican party is dead, but it is shrinking in importance. Uncle Thomas and Scalia will not go on forever, and President Obama will continue bringing the SCOTUS toward the center. The unholy alliance between the right-leaning SCOTUS and the Republican party will fade in importance. Those who claim to follow the Constitution will begin reading it.
Cheers
It's normal for election supervisors in Florida and other states to spend days after any election counting absentee, provisional, military and overseas ballots. Usually, though, the election has already been called on election night or soon after because the winner's margin is beyond reach.
Just another way of saying "your vote doesn't REALLY count". Makes me sick
They "called" the election before the polls even closed here. No wonder we have such a lower voter turnout for everything else. But not counting the overseas or military ? MAybe they should all come home to vote and let's see waht a differance that makes.
They'll be home to stay sooner with Obama in...think about that.
Calling it early when a GOPer wins is perfectly okay with them then.
They called Ronald Regan the winner at 10 am Central time in 1980. Mountain and Pacific time zones did not even bother to vote nor any people in the Central or Eastern time zone that were planning to vote later in the day.
Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio's attempted and in some cases successful voter suppression was a disgrace to our democracy.
Our government is still by the people and for the people and you Republican Pigs will never again make it by the rich and for the rich, like you did in 1980 and 2000.
For the last few days, the Republicans have been trying to spin the loss every conceivable way they can: it was because of Sandy, it was because of demographics, even, according to Rove, that it was because Obama had somehow suppressed the vote?!!!. They have suggested every possible explanation for their considerable losses across the board (despite huge SuperPac investments) except one: that Americans just flat rejected the Republicans' point of view. Why is that idea unfathomable to them? But make no mistake: the left should avoid being too smug and complacent and should immediately start working to ensure campaign and finance reform, voter protection, and a tamper-proof election process. You can bet the millionaires, billionaires, and their corporations will not simply pack up and go home. They will be back in full force, pulling every trick in the book, pretending to have suddenly seen the light on immigration, etc. So start preparing now.
2014, an extremely important year to continue the reform, let's all start today! Take back the HOUSE.
What is wrong with those people in North Carolina????
Hello will try once more to post. We have spoken loud,and clear. However Boner doesnt get it.Its no longer the white America he thinks he lives in. We are a diverse melting pot.But I hope the G.O.P. continues its arrogance despite a Trouncing/Bully Beat Down they got.Ive worked my whole life,and didnt ask to take 3 strokes,and then be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia,thats taking away my legs.As wellas 17 operations.
Id like to see Boner stripped of his salary of apx 200,000.00,free car,gas card,exp. acts.free food,etc. Then live on an average SSI income of 812.00 a month,and 140.00 dollars in food stamps,in a 1 bedroom Hud apt,paying rent share of apx.191.00,leaving him with 621.00 to pay for additional food,Non Covered medical needs,a car,gas,etc. Ill bet my life he coulldnt make it.He certainly wouldnt be able to afford his fake Orange Glow tan,or his Plastic Surgery.Those are the real numbers.
As the G.O.P. continues its arrogance "We the Independants"are getting stronger,and more organized.I predict we will replace the Repubs,very sooon.To Dr. Sam,it must be a hard pill to swallow.
P.S. to this blog;Why dont you have the total Popular vote numbers posted?
Lest all of Progressive voters get caught napping, 2014 election started on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012. The GOP thought they could buy the election with lies and money, and they almost did. There is still a segment of the population that thinks it's in the Constitution to deny Americans the opportunity to vote and to deny Americans the right to earn a decent wage and the opportunity to worship the God of their choice. As a white woman in this white man's world of old, I have lived long enough to see the start of change. May it continue to live long and prosper!
As another old white woman I couldn't agree more!!
Hey, don't forget us Socially Moderate Yankee Republicans who shouted out also. The Silent Arm of the once great, caring, and sane GOP. We will be back to stand beside you inf Pride and Dignity to work together to make the US a haven for the middle class again.
I recently heard a list of fixes that need to be implemented to get Congress to do its job. I shared this list with my Congressman Gene Green, Speaker of the House John Boehner, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Here’s the list:
Pay for performance
If members of Congress cannot work together to come up with a federal budget, they should not get paid themselves.
Work a full workweek
I understand people in congress work 3 days and get paid for 5. That is totally unacceptable.
Regular get-togethers for congressional members
This is so that members of congress can form good personal and working relationships with one another.
Regular meetings between the president and congressional members
The president should meet with congress on a monthly basis to establish good working relationships similar to the ones held between the Prime Minister and parliament in England.
Reform the Senate filibuster rules
Return to the old rules where senators had to continue speaking on the floor for hours. Currently, they only
have to file a document to block a bill.
Impose reasonable time limits on the process for the President’s staff/cabinet posts/judicial appointments
This would ensure that the White House is not held back due to political maneuvering.
I support the No Budget, No Pay Act introduced by Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN) on December 13, 2011, House Resolution (H.R.) 3643. Congress is in need of serious reform.
If you agree, I urge you to call your elected officials and demand that the above fixes be implemented. It would be devastating for this country to go off the "fiscal cliff."
This time Obama has a pretty big hammer: Bush Tax Cuts expire on Jan 1st 2013 and Budget Sequestration (with its 10% defense budget decrease and limited annual increase) takes effect on Jan 2nd 2013.
Both Boehner and McConnell hate these events which explains why Boehner is making conciliatory noises.
Three cheers for President Obama! He kicked butt! So glad he took Florida even if he didn't need it. The republicans need to wake up. America has changed. The demographics have changed. Technology has changed. The republican party has changed. It is now the right wing religious extremist party who are out of touch with modern day America. All the money and lies couldn't fool the majority of the people. Three cheers!
Karl Rove - I hear that Jimmy Hoffa is saving a spot for you after all the PAC superfund millions that you squandered...
House Republicans will not be able to help themselves. They will grid lock even more now that they have been handed a stunning loss. They don't know any better or have any clue how much damage is about to occur to the Republican Party.
Worse yet, they'll probably start 'investigations' into everything they can to try and cripple the presidency as they did with Clinton.
They have no shame when it comes to putting party ahead of the country.
The Republican Party is not afraid of the term "Going Berserk". A Viking term and not a good one.
Sunset...Berserker might be a harsh term but it's appropriate in this case. As a Viking descendent I approve!
Rick Scott and the Republican legislature did everything possible to keep Florida's Democrats and Independents from voting but you can't keep good people down.
The Republicans gerrymandered districts into outrageous shapes, changed rules, eliminated early voting days, shut down voting locations in low income neighborhoods and changed the locations of those that did remain but still couldn't keep Florida Democrats and Independents from standing in lines for hours to exercise their Constitutional right to vote.
.....
Rick you big dumb illegitimate child of lurch and uncle festus, "CHEATERS DIDN'T WIN THIS TIME"!
sweet
Maybe the Obstructionist Republican House of Representatives will just let the Lord of the Flies borrow another $16 Trillion and pi$$it down Chris Matthews leg?
How is that voter suppression effort working out for you Rick??? Made a few people upset you were so obvious about it I think. You are going to be suppressed in two years....Miserable excuse for an American....congrats to the Obama election team..what an effort.
Just think...if The Lord of the Flies gets impeached for the Lying
and COVER-up of the Libya massacre..Biden would be president....That is
certainly a good insurance policy for NoBama..aka The Lord of the Flies
$16 Trillion? 16 gazillion..16 dillion...16 jillion...hey was that the chick with the big
gazonzas? Where is my NoBama Money? That Teabag dude must have stopped it.
I'm gonna go to the Occupy thing to get some dope. Maybe some stupid white chick will be on
the fringes and I can get some. 'F' her, the stupid White Bit@*
YES PLEASE CONTINUE TO BE AN OBSTRUCTIONIST thinking person,like your soon to be extinct party ,the G.O.P..How about you looking at what the thief G.W.B. left for Obama?Or lets see they almost elected a guy with a Tax Evader bunch of bank acts,In Swiss,Cayman Islands,and Dominican ,along side Drug Carels,Organized Crime $,and Organized Gangs.Now thats Outsourcing,isnt it R.Beachiz?You sound like an Election Ad.
You see folks this is why they will be pulverized by the new INDEPENDANT PARTY.God Bless Obama,and the trouncing of Romney.P.S. it wouldnt matter who they ran,"WE THE PEOPLE "have spoken.Its not our fault the G.O.P. ,is tone deak.
The best part about all of this is that in order to expand the reach of the Republican Party they must alienate their own base. They're damned if they do and damned if they don't. They truly are a Mad Men party in a Modern Family world.