Florida Senate race: Rick Scott vs. Bill Nelson

Florida’s popular outgoing Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, has beaten longtime incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in the race for Florida’s Senate seat. Nelson had held the seat in the Senate since 2001. But Scott used a huge amount of campaign cash — much of it his own — and his position as a Washington outsider to beat Nelson.

Florida was one of 2018’s most-watched Senate races. Nelson was one of 10 Senate Democrats running for reelection in a state Donald Trump won in 2016, and Democrats needed this seat to reclaim a majority in the Senate. (In the end, it wasn’t enough; Republicans held on to their Senate majority.)

This was also one of the most expensive races of the midterms. Scott spent millions of his own money on his campaign, and over the summer, he was far outspending Nelson — Scott’s campaign had spent $27 million compared to Nelson’s $6 million.