Florida Republican incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed victory over challenger Democrat Charlie Crist just an hour after polls closed Tuesday night, winning a second term, the Associated Press reported. 

A clear win by a margin of over 10%, DeSantis’s win lines up with polling by the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) which reported a double-digit lead by the Republican governor two weeks ago. 

Republican Rep. Marco Rubio won his third term, beating Democrat Rep. Val Demings, according to the Associated Press. Rubio’s win means that Florida will be represented by two Republican senators for at least two more years.

The GOP won majority in Florida’s cabinet with 20 Republican seats and 8 for Democrats

Locally, Republican T.K. Waters for Duval Sheriff was announced the winner with 55.16% of the vote against Democrat Lakesha Burton’s 44.84%.

The landslide results from the governor and Senate race indicate Florida could potentially become an official red state after previously being one of the nation’s largest swing states. 

As of 7 p.m., Duval County had an unofficial voter turnout of 329,261 with a 50.20% turnout. 

Ballots are still coming in from Duval County and precincts across the state. Polls have closed in several key states for U.S. Congress but results remain too close to call.

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