Democrat Andrew Gillum concedes defeat in Florida's gubernatorial race

Democrat Andrew Gillum conceded defeat to Republican Ron DeSantis in Florida's gubernatorial race, as hand counts continued for the Senator's seat in the state.

"I want to congratulate @RonDeSantisFL on becoming the next Governor of the great state of Florida. My wife R. Jai and I could not be prouder of the way we ran this race. We could not be more thankful to my running mate, @ChrisKingFL and his wife Kristen," the Democrat tweeted on Sunday (IST).

He further stated, "Most importantly, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for being part of this campaign. I wouldn't be here without the support that was shown by millions of Floridians. I encourage y'all to keep fighting for what we believe in."

"We are going to keep fighting. We will keep working. And in the end, I believe that we will win. I am so thankful to each and every one of you," read another tweet.

Gillum had conceded defeat on the election night itself but had later revoked his decision due to machine recounts that had been ordered for both the Governor's race and the Senator's seat.

His announcement came after the count ended on Thursday (local time) and confirmed Gillum's defeat.

United States President Donald Trump appreciated Gillum's move while tweeting, "Congratulations to Andrew Gillum on having run a really tough and competitive race for Governor of the Great State of Florida.