Democrats’ Hopes Sinking–
Republican David Jolly is leading Democrat Alex Sink with just three precincts remaining in the Florida special congressional election for District 13. The race is to replace Republican Rep. C.W. Bill Young, who passed away last October.
UPDATE: Election called—
BREAKING: Republican David Jolly wins Fla. congressional special election in test race over health care.
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 11, 2014
Jolly won with 49% of the vote to 47% for Sink.
The Libertarian candidate won nearly 5% of the vote.
Congratulations Republican Congressman David Jolly
The Politico reported:
After almost $9 million in outside spending, a storm of attacks and counterattacks and endless speculation about its implications for the midterms, voters have cast their ballots in the Florida special congressional election on Tuesday.
The stakes are particularly high for Democrats. The party has bet big on Alex Sink, Florida’s former chief financial officer and the Democrats’ 2010 gubernatorial nominee, in the race for the swing 13th Congressional District, which encompasses part of the St. Petersburg area. A win, Democrats hope, will deflate the conventional wisdom that 2014 is destined to go south for them.
For the GOP, the race has been an opportunity to test-drive attacks on Obamacare, which are certain to be the centerpiece of its argument in this year’s midterm elections. And while national Republicans complain that their candidate, former Washington lobbyist David Jolly, has been lackluster, public polling suggests the race is tight.