. Andrew Gillum will have to rely on the courts if he has any chance to become Florida's first black governor.
A recount of more than 8 million ballots that ended Thursday afternoon confirmed that Republican Ron DeSantis beat the Democratic Tallahassee mayor in the nationally watched race that galvanized progressives across the country.
The final tally, headed to certification next week, was 4,075,445 for DeSantis and 4,041,762 for Gillum.
The margin of victory was enough for DeSantis, a former congressman representing Jacksonville, to avoid a hand recount of questionable ballots set aside for further review. He had already assembled a transition team to prepare for his ascendance as Florida's 46th governor.