Republicans sweep Florida elections with landslide victories

Gov. Ron DeSantis was re-elected Tuesday to a second term as Florida's chief executive after defeating Democratic challenger Rep. Charlie Crist.

With 79% of precincts counted, DeSantis, 44, won 58.1% of the vote to 41.2% for Crist who won the state's gubernatorial race as a Republican in 2006. He did not seek re-election in 2010 after losing as a Democrat in 2014 to Republican Gov. Rick Scott.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio was also re-elected to a third six-year term in the U.S. Senate after handily defeating Democratic Rep. Val Demings.

With 73% of precincts counted, Rubio, Florida's longest-serving senator, won 55.9% of the vote to 43% for Demings, a U.S. congresswoman and former Orlando police chief.

In Miami, Cuban-American Congresswoman Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar was re-elected to represent the 27th District, soundly defeating Democrat Annette Taddeo.

With 76% of precincts counted, Salazar, who first won the seat in 2020 won 57.3% of the vote to 42.7% for Taddeo, who served as a state senator and unsuccessfully ran as Charlie Crist's running mate in the 2014 gubernatorial race.

In the battle for the 26th District, Cuban-American Mario Diaz-Balart with more than 60% of the votes counted, obtained 70.5% of the vote and defeated Christine Olivo who won 29.5%.

With more than 60% of the votes counted in District 28, Cuban American Rep. Carlos Gimenez defeated his rival Robert Ascencio by winning 62.4% of the votes.