With Donald Trump becoming President-elect early Wednesday morning, the state of Florida continued one of the nation’s longest streaks when it comes to picking the winner.
Trump carried Florida by just under 130,000 votes, becoming the first Republican to win the Sunshine State since George W. Bush in 2004. It’s the sixth consecutive time that the state has gone to the winner of the entire election, a streak just behind Ohio for the longest in the country.
Since 1928, Florida has only been on the losing side of the election twice – going for Richard Nixon in 1960 (in an election won by John F. Kennedy) and George H.W. Bush in 1992 (won by Bill Clinton). It’s a reversal of fortune for the state, which went to the overall winner just four times in the previous 12 elections between 1880 and 1924.
With polls indicating another tight race in the state, many Floridians braced for another long night of not knowing which way the state would go – bringing back memories of the 2000 election that was not decided until over a month after Election Day. Ultimately, Florida would be called for Trump before several other crucial swing states in the election.
