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EXPLAINER: Why AP called Florida for Trump

Battleground state has history of close elections

People line up to vote outside of the John F. Kennedy Library during the general election, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Hialeah, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Lynne Sladky, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

UPDATE:

The Associated Press officially declared Donald Trump the winner of Florida in the U.S. presidential race shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

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ORIGINAL STORY:

President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden were locked in a tight race in Florida late Tuesday, and it was too early for The Associated Press to call the perennial battleground state.

Florida has a history of close elections, including the state’s 2018 governor’s race, which went to a recount. The AP was waiting on more vote count to come in from South Florida, including Miami-Dade County, the largest county in the state.

Trump is leading Biden in Florida in the race for the top office in the United States, and Trump’s support in South Florida is a big reason why.

As of 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, Trump has received 195,000 more votes in Miami-Dade County, compared to the 2016 election.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted earlier on Election Night his frustration that major news outlets had not called Florida for Trump.

“President @realDonaldTrump is up in Florida by almost 400,000 votes with more than 90% of precincts reporting,” he said in a tweet. “Why haven’t networks called the race? It’s a done deal and the refusal to recognize the obvious speaks volumes about the (lack of) objectivity of these outlets.”