U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Gainesville, handily won reelection and is poised to work with a Republican presidential administration for the first time after Donald Trump won a return to the White House.
The Associated Press called Cammack’s race less than an hour after polls closed, projecting the incumbent would secure a third term in office. With 99% of precincts reporting, Cammack led with 61.6% of the vote against Democratic challenger Tom Wells.
“I’m so grateful for all of the amazing people in #FL03 for trusting me and sending me to Washington again during the 119th Congress to keep fighting for our great district and nation!” Cammack wrote in a Facebook post after the race was called. “There’s so much at stake in this election and I’m grateful that you’ve put your trust in me. Let’s keep fighting and putting America first!”
Cammack, 36, represents Florida’s Third Congressional District, which covers Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Suwannee and Union counties. During her campaign, Cammack emphasized combatting inflation, border security, regulatory reform and her readiness to work with a potential Trump administration.
At 5:34 a.m. EST, the Associated Press called Wisconsin and its 10 electoral votes for Trump, pushing him over the 270 threshold and clinching a remarkable political comeback for the former president.
“This was a movement like nobody’s ever seen before,” Trump said during a victory speech in West Palm Beach, adding that he wants to heal the country. “We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly… I will not rest until we’ve delivered the strong and prosperous America that your children deserve, that you deserve.”
Trump reached the cusp of victory early Wednesday morning after flipping Georgia and Pennsylvania—states he won in 2016 and lost in 2020.
Fox News called Wisconsin for Trump around 2 a.m., but the Associated Press and other major television networks waited for outstanding votes in the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee to ensure they would not flip the result. Trump won the state by under one percentage point over Vice President Kamala Harris, who did not immediately make any public comments about the election results.
Earlier in the evening, Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward, a Democrat, had expressed optimism that Harris would be able to pull out the victory.
“I like positive campaigns,” Ward told Mainstreet. “I like people who paint a brighter picture of the future instead of telling me how horrible things are.”
Reminiscent of 2016, Trump consistently outperformed polling expectations, including in Florida, where he won by 13 points to beat his polling advantage by five points.
As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, Trump also held leads in Michigan (15 electoral votes), Arizona (11), Nevada (6) and Alaska (3), but none of the races had been called.
Meanwhile, Republicans gained control of the U.S. Senate and had a chance to pad its lead as votes continue to be tallied. The GOP flipped seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana and held competitive seats in Texas and Florida, where incumbent Sen. Rick Scott claimed a 13-point win over Democratic challenger Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
“We’re not done yet,” Scott said in his victory speech. “Next week, we have another election—Senate Republican leader.”
Democrats currently hold a 51-49 advantage in the Senate, but they were defending 23 of the 34 seats on the ballot this year, including several in Republican-leaning states. The GOP will carry at least a 52-48 majority into the 199th Congress.
Control of the U.S. House, which currently stands with Republicans by a slim margin, may not be known until Wednesday or later.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated. A previous version of this story mistakenly said Trump flipped North Carolina, but he has won that state in the last three elections.