President Trump’s favored candidate, GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis, defeated state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam in Florida’s Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday after riding the wave of the president's enthusiastic endorsement to victory. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Bernie Sanders-backed Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum pulled off a major upset in defeating a half a dozen rivals, including former Rep. Gwen Graham, in the Democratic primary. 
 
 DeSantis and Gillum will face each other in November's general election. If he triumphs, Gillum would be the state's first black governor. 
 
 During a celebration event in Orlando, DeSantis thanked the president for "viewing me as somebody who could be a great leader for Florida." 
 
 "Our victory is a good victory, anyways," DeSantis said, complimenting Putnam on a hard-fought race. "But man, to beat someone of his caliber is a big, big deal." 
 
 The president repeatedly had implored voters to support DeSantis over Putnam. Trump offered his congratulations on Twitter. 
 
 "Such a fantastic win for Ron DeSantis and the people of the Great State of Florida," Trump tweeted. "Ron will be a fantastic Governor. On to November!" 
 
 Appearing on the "Ingraham Angle" later, DeSantis downplayed the notion that his win was due to the president's backing, and touted his record on combatting environmental problems, illegal immigration, and education reform. 
 
 "We've been talking about these key issues time and time again and we're going to continue to do that and spread the message far and wide," he said. 
 
 Gillum, Tallahassee’s progressive mayor backed by the Democratic-socialist Sanders, shocked observers with his win, as Graham, the daughter of former Florida Governor and Sen. Bob Graham, led in pre-election polls. 
 
 "I'm truly honored to represent people across the state as the Democratic nominee -- and I promise to stand up for everyday Floridians and the issues that matter most," Gillum tweeted after his win. 
 
 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic socialist star running for New York's 14th district, praised Gillum for staking out liberal positions by supporting Medicare for all, legalizing marijuana and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 
 
 “The progressive movement is transforming the country - and he proved that again tonight,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. 
 
 In the state's closely-watched Senate contest, Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday easily won the GOP nomination. He faced a challenge from perennial candidate Roque De La Fuente. 
 
 "Congratulations to Governor Rick Scott of Florida on his conclusive Republican Primary Win," Trump, who encouraged Scott to run, tweeted. "He will be a great Senator!" 
 
 Scott, who is term-limited as governor, is set to face incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in what surely will be one of the most closely watched Senate races in November. Nelson ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. 
 
 But much of the attention in the run-up to Tuesday's vote had been on the contentious Republican gubernatorial primary between DeSantis and Putnam. 
 
 During a Fox News-sponsored debate in June, DeSantis played up Trump’s backing of his campaign, expressing doubt that Putnam adequately supported Trump. “I am proud to have the endorsement of President Trump in this race,” DeSantis said. 
 
 DeSantis, 39, is an Iraq War veteran and decorated military lawyer who has served in the U.S. House since 2013. He is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School. 
 
 Putnam, 44, also played up his support for Trump, but emphasized, “I am focused on Florida.” 
 
 As for the Senate race, Republicans are hoping Scott could flip the seat in a battle with Nelson, one of the Democratic Party’s most vulnerable incumbents. 
 
 Trump narrowly defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in Florida in the 2016 presidential race by less than 2 percentage points. 
 
 It was a good night for incumbents in House races in Florida, as Republican Carlos Curbelo and Democrat Stephanie Murphy were among those who beat back primary challengers. 
 
 National Democrats have eyed Curbelo's 26th congressional district as a potential pickup target, in large part because it voted heavily for Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. But with almost all precincts reporting, approximately 2,500 more people had turned out to vote in the GOP primary than in the Democratic primary. 
 
 Curbelo garnered 84 percent of the vote against primary opponent Souraya Faas, who described Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as "heroes" and claimed chemical attacks in Syria's civil war were "staged." 
 
 In November, Curbelo will face Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former associate dean at the Florida International University Medical School and Democratic candidate for state Senate. 
 
 Murphy, who unseated GOP incumbent John Mica in 2016, easily defeated a primary challenge in the 7th District from Chardo Richardson, who was backed by Ocasio-Cortez. She will face Florida state Rep. Mike Miller in November's general election. 
 
 Fox News’ Samuel Chamberlain, Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Mike Arroyo and The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| Andrew Gillum addresses his supporters after winning the Democrat primary for governor on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) (Associated Press) 
 
 Andrew Gillum addresses his supporters after winning the Democrat primary for governor on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) (Associated Press) 
 
 TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) — A liberal Florida Democrat pulled off an upset victory while President Donald Trump's favored candidate cruised to an easy win Tuesday, setting up a fierce showdown for the governor's mansion in the nation's largest political battleground. 
 
 Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, an unabashed progressive, won the Democratic primary, moving him a step away from becoming the state's first black governor. He'll face off against Trump-backed Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis. 
 
 DeSantis gave Trump credit for his victory, saying that with one supportive tweet, the president "kind of put me on the map." Gillum is his party's third black gubernatorial nominee this year, along with Stacey Abrams in Georgia and Ben Jealous in Maryland. 
 
 The results immediately transformed the Florida race into one of the most closely watched gubernatorial campaigns in the country. Gillum's primary victory could help Democrats boost enthusiasm among minorities who often don't vote in large numbers in years when a presidential candidate isn't on the ballot. Meanwhile, DeSantis will test Trump's grip on a crucial state he won in 2016 and wants to keep in his column in 2020. 
 
 DeSantis was one of several Republicans running in contests Tuesday in Florida and Arizona — another closely watched political battleground — who hoped that cozying up to the president would be rewarded by voters. Trump has thrust himself into the forefront of the midterm campaign in hopes of motivating his supporters and offsetting Democratic enthusiasm. 
 
 In Arizona, primary contests were shadowed by the death of Sen. John McCain. Though McCain was a towering figure who was elected to the Senate by Arizonans six times, the three Republican candidates running to replace his retiring seat-mate, Sen. Jeff Flake — including establishment favorite Rep. Martha McSally — aligned themselves more with the president than the longtime senator. 
 
 Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey planned to name a replacement to fill McCain's seat after his funeral. 
 
 Polls closed in Arizona at the end of a day that began with delayed openings at dozens of polling locations in the state's largest county. Leaders in Maricopa County rejected calls to try to keep polls open later, saying it may confuse voters and delay returns. No problems were reported elsewhere in the state. 
 
 Elsewhere Tuesday, GOP voters in reliably Republican Oklahoma backed mortgage company owner Kevin Stitt in a runoff for the gubernatorial nomination. Stitt won in part by criticizing his opponent as insufficiently supportive of Trump. 
 
 Trump surprised Florida Republicans late last year with his endorsement of DeSantis, and frequently tweeted about the lawmaker, one of his staunchest supporters in Washington. His backing helped push DeSantis past Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who has held elected office in Florida since 1996, quickly built up establishment support and raised millions of dollars. 
 
 Gillum came from behind in a crowded and diverse Democratic field. Former Rep. Gwen Graham, whose father, Bob Graham, served as governor, had hoped to position herself to become the state's first female governor. 
 
 Gillum, a favorite of progressives, spent the least of the five major Democratic candidates and had the smallest television presence. He often said he was the only candidate in the race who wasn't a millionaire or billionaire, and won the endorsement of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. 
 
 At a victory party in Tallahassee, Gillum thanked supporters who "took hold of our vision and our mission and our plan for a state that makes room for all of us, not just the well-heeled and the well-connected, but all of us." 
 
 The winner of the Florida governor's race will give his or her party an advantage in a key political battleground heading into the 2020 presidential campaign. 
 
 Florida Gov. Rick Scott is vacating the governor's mansion to run for Senate. He easily won his primary, setting up a showdown with Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson that is expected to be one of the nation's most competitive races. 
 
 Democrats also eyed pickup opportunities in Florida as they try to flip control of the U.S. House. One of their best chances is in South Florida, where Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is retiring in a district that should favor Democrats. 
 
 Donna Shalala, who served as President Bill Clinton's Health and Human Services secretary, claimed the Democratic nomination in Ros-Lehtinen's district. 
 
 The contests in both Florida and Arizona were being closely watched for signs of how the political battlegrounds might tilt in the 2020 presidential election. 
 
 McCain's death has highlighted anew the shift in the Republican Party since he captured the GOP nomination for president in 2008. With his consistently conservative voting record, Arizonans elected McCain to the Senate six times, including in 2016. But his more moderate stance on immigration and his deciding vote last year against Trump's efforts to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law turned off many GOP voters. 
 
 A CNN survey in June found that 67 percent of Democrats had a favorable opinion of McCain, while just 33 percent of Republicans did. 
 
 Among those on the Arizona ballot was former state Sen. Kelli Ward, who tried unsuccessfully to unseat McCain in 2016. When McCain's family said last week that he was discontinuing medical treatment, Ward speculated in a later-deleted Facebook post that the announcement was intended to hurt her campaign for Flake's seat. 
 
 Ward apologized Monday, saying she was bemoaning media coverage rather than the family's announcement. 
 
 "I do understand how many could have misconstrued my comments as insensitive, and for this I apologize," Ward said. 
 
 Also running for the Senate nomination was former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the controversial immigration hardliner. Trump spared Arpaio a possible jail sentence last year by pardoning his federal conviction stemming from immigration patrols. 
 
 McSally, a fighter pilot turned congresswoman in the McCain mold, was hoping Ward and Arpaio split Arizona's anti-establishment vote. 
 
 The winner of the GOP primary is likely to face Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, who had only token primary opposition. Sinema announced that she was pausing her campaign Wednesday and Thursday, when McCain's body will lie in Arizona's Capitol. 
 
 Sinema's and McSally's Senate runs also have created House openings in Arizona, a fast-growing and increasingly diverse state where Democrats are eager to gain a foothold. McSally's district in particular is expected to be one of the most competitive House races in November's general election. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Pace reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Joe Reedy in Tallahassee, Florida, Nicholas Riccardi in Phoenix, Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City, AP polling editor Emily Swanson in Washington, Kelli Kennedy in Miami and Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale contributed to this report. 
 
 ___ 
 
 On Twitter, follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and Brendan Farrington at http://twitter.com/bsfarrington ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 / Updated By Dartunorro Clark and Ali Vitali 
 
 ORLANDO, Fla. — Andrew Gillum, the black Democratic nominee for governor in Florida, said Wednesday that it was "clear" his GOP rival "is going to join Donald Trump in the swamp" after Ron DeSantis said in a television interview that the state should not "monkey this up" by electing Gillum. 
 
 "We're going to leave them there, and we continue to press toward a higher mark," Gillum said Wednesday on MSNBC's "Meet The Press Daily." 
 
 Gillum was responding to a comment DeSantis made in an interview Wednesday morning on Fox News when speaking about his newly minted general election rival, a progressive who won his party's nomination in an upset on Tuesday night. 
 
 "You know, he is an articulate spokesman for those far-left views and he's a charismatic candidate," DeSantis said. "The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state. That is not going to work. That's not going to be good for Florida." 
 
 Gillum said later that his opponent, who was met with fierce backlash for his remarks, was trying to divide voters in the state. 
 
 "We're better than this in Florida. I believe the congressman can be better than this. I regret that his mentor in politics is Donald Trump, but I do believe that voters of the state of Florida are going to reject the politics of division." 
 
 Rep. Ron DeSantis, with his wife, Casey, at an election party in Orlando after winning Florida's Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018. Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP 
 
 Chuck Todd, the host of "Meet the Press Daily," said DeSantis was invited to appear on the program after making the comment, but declined. 
 
 Gillum, who was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and George Soros, is vying to become the state's first black governor. DeSantis was endorsed by President Donald Trump. 
 
 Gillum also appeared on Fox News Wednesday afternoon and excoriated DeSantis for the remark, saying the comment was "not lost on me" and was ripped out of Trump's playbook. 
 
 "In the handbook of Donald Trump, they no longer do whistle calls — they're now using full bullhorns," Gillum said. "I'm not going to get down in the gutter with DeSantis and Trump, there's enough of that going on, I'm going to try to stay high." 
 
 He added, "It's very clear that Mr. DeSantis is taking a page directly from the campaign manual of Donald Trump, but I think he's got another thing coming to him if he thinks that in today's day and age Florida voters are going to respond to that level of derision and division." 
 
 Terrie Rizzo, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, said, "It's disgusting that Ron DeSantis is launching his general election campaign with racist dog whistles." 
 
 Asked about DeSantis at the White House, Trump said he had not heard the remark. 
 
 Historians have noted that using "monkey" and "ape" when referring to African-Americans has racist origins, but a spokesperson for DeSantis told NBC News that his remarks had nothing to do with race. 
 
 Andrew Gillum, mayor of Tallahassee and Democratic nominee for governor, at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 27, 2016. Paul Sancya / AP, file 
 
 DeSantis communications director said: "Ron DeSantis was obviously talking about Florida not making the wrong decision to embrace the socialist policies that Andrew Gillum espouses. To characterize it as anything else is absurd. Florida's economy has been on the move for the last eight years, and the last thing we need is a far-left democrat trying to stop our success." 
 
 Asked for comment on DeSantis' remarks, Gillum spokesman Geoff Burgan said, "As we say in Tallahassee, bless his heart." 
 
 The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader, responded to DeSantis' remarks with a one-word tweet: 
 
 "We do not condone this language and wanted to make our viewers aware that he has since clarified his statement," Fox News host Sandra Smith said after she had interviewed DeSantis Wednesday morning. She read his clarification on the air. 
 
 Dartunorro Clark reported from New York, and Ali Vitali reported from Orlando. ||||| Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum gives his concession speech as he is joined on stage by his wife R. Jai Gillum, right, and running mate Chris King and his wife Kristen Tuesday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum gives his concession speech as he is joined on stage by his wife R. Jai Gillum, right, and running mate Chris King and his wife Kristen Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Tallahassee, Fla. Gillum lost the Florida governor’s race to Republican Ron DeSantis.... (Associated Press) 
 
 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Razor-thin margins in Florida's bitter races for the U.S. Senate and governor are raising the specter of possible recounts, potentially prolonging two of the most closely watched contests of the nation's midterm elections. 
 
 In the governor's race, Democrat Andrew Gillum's campaign said Thursday it's readying for a possible recount. He conceded to Republican Ron DeSantis on Tuesday night, though the race has since tightened. As of Thursday afternoon, DeSantis led Gillum by 0.47 percentage point. 
 
 Meanwhile, Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson has begun preparing for a potential recount in a race still too close to call against Republican Gov. Rick Scott. Nelson's lawyer called that race a "jump ball" — though Scott's campaign urged Nelson to concede. Scott held a 0.21 percentage lead over Nelson on Thursday afternoon. 
 
 The tight races underscored Florida's status as a perennial swing state where elections are often decided by the thinnest of margins. Since 2000, when Florida decided the presidency by 537 votes in a contest that took more than five weeks to sort out, the state has seen many close elections, but never so many dead heats in one year. 
 
 And like 2000, the counting process is becoming contentious. 
 
 Scott, as outgoing governor, said at a news conference Thursday night that he was asking the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate elections offices in the Democratic strongholds of Palm Beach and Broward counties, questioning whether they were trying to inflate the Democratic vote. 
 
 Scott's campaign separately filed a lawsuit demanding that the Broward County supervisor of elections be ordered to turn over several records detailing the counting and collection of ballots cast. 
 
 Gretl Plessinger, a spokeswoman for the Florida law enforcement agency, said by phone Thursday night that the agency would follow up on the governor's request. 
 
 Nelson's campaign released a statement saying Scott's action appears to be politically motivated and borne out of desperation as he tries to win the Senate contest. 
 
 Meanwhile, President Donald Trump tweeted on the Senate fray: "Law Enforcement is looking into another big corruption scandal having to do with Election Fraud in #Broward and Palm Beach. Florida voted for Rick Scott!" 
 
 Sarah Revell, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of State, said she didn't know of any other recount in a governor or Senate race in state history. She was researching the subject Thursday. 
 
 Under Florida law, a recount is mandatory if the winning candidate's margin is less than 0.5 percentage points when the first unofficial count is verified Saturday by Florida's secretary of state. 
 
 The Associated Press has called the governor's race for DeSantis. If Saturday's count shows DeSantis with a margin narrow enough to trigger a recount, AP will retract its call for DeSantis. It is AP policy not to call a race that is facing a recount. 
 
 The AP has not called a winner in the Senate race. 
 
 Gillum's campaign said it's monitoring the situation with an elections lawyer and readying for a possible state-mandated recount. He hired attorney Barry Richard, who represented President George W. Bush in the 2000 recount. 
 
 "On Tuesday night, the Gillum for Governor campaign operated with the best information available about the number of outstanding ballots left to count. Since that time, it has become clear there are many more uncounted ballots than was originally reported," the campaign said. "We are committed to ensuring every single vote in Florida is counted." 
 
 DeSantis declined to discuss prospects for a recount, telling reporters he was "very proud to be elected." 
 
 "We're working really hard on the transition," he said. 
 
 Florida was mocked for the way it handled the infamous 2000 recount, especially since there was no uniform process then on how to proceed. That has changed, with the Legislature passing a clear procedure on how a recount should be conducted. 
 
 "This is not like it was in 2000. There's not a lot of room for strategy," Richard said. 
 
 Elections officials in Broward County, where Democrats have a large advantage, were still reviewing ballots Thursday. 
 
 Broward Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes said she didn't know how many ballots remain to be counted, but all were being processed. She also did not know how many provisional, military and mismarked ballots need to be counted. Her department's website said ballots cast on Election Day have been counted. 
 
 Marc Elias, a lawyer hired by Nelson, said he expects the margin to narrow further. 
 
 "The results of the 2018 Senate election are unknown and I think that you and the elections officials should treat it as such," Elias told reporters on a conference call. "We believe that at the end of this process that Senator Nelson is going to be declared the winner." 
 
 Florida counties have until noon Saturday to submit unofficial election results to the Department of State. Secretary of State Ken Detzner, a Scott appointee, will review the results and decide whether to order recounts. 
 
 In yet a third statewide seat — the Cabinet position of agriculture commissioner — the candidates were separated by 483 votes out of more than 8 million cast — a margin of 0.006 percent. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writer Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale and Ellis Rua in Hialeah Gardens contributed to this report.
– Andrew Gillum pulled off an upset victory in Florida on Tuesday to become the state's first black nominee for governor, the AP reports. The Bernie Sanders-backed liberal Democrat, currently the mayor of Tallahassee, will run against President Trump-endorsed Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis, Fox News reports, results that the AP says "immediately transformed the Florida race into one of the most closely watched gubernatorial campaigns in the country." The Huffington Post says the November election will be "a referendum" on the president. Trump congratulated DeSantis on Twitter after his win. More from the primaries in Florida and Arizona, both closely watched political battleground states, plus a runoff election in Oklahoma on Tuesday: Florida Senate race: Current Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is term-limited in that role, won the GOP nomination and will run against incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and is seen as vulnerable.