More: Around the nation

BU News Service

Here is some state races outside Massachusetts to keep an eye an on.

Florida

Republican Ron DeSantis has defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum in the race for Governor in Florida.

A former congressman and strong supporter of President Trump, DeSantis won by a narrow margin. DeSantis won Florida votes with his conservative values, advocating for limited gun control measures, lower taxes, streamlined regulations and strengthened border security.

In another Republican victory, Rick Scott has defeated three-term incumbent democratic senator Bill Nelson in the race for senate in Florida.

Scott pulled ahead to win the race for a senate seat after a close, competitive and expensive race. Scott, a navy veteran, former healthcare mogul and 45^th governor of Florida, advocates for expanding public education options, cutting taxes for Florida’s families and businesses and making strategic investments in infrastructure and transportation.

Kentucky

Incumbent Republican Andy Barr has won the race for Kentucky’s 6^th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. In what has been one of the most heavily watched races in the 2018 midterm elections, Barr held his seat in the House of Representatives over first-time candidate Amy McGrath. As a three-time Republican incumbent in a state that went red in the 2016 presidential election, Barr’s win originally seemed predictable. Yet, despite the political environment of her state and the strength of her opponent, McGrath was able to give Barr a run for his money. But her unlikely rise to the challenge wasn’t quite enough, as McGrath lost by about three percent of the votes with 97 percent of precincts reporting, according to CNN election results.

Kentucky was the first state to have all of their House races called, with Republicans taking most seats. District 1 went to Republican incumbent James Corner, District 2 to Republican incumbent Brett Guthrie, District 4 to Republican incumbent Thomas Massie and District 5 to Republican incumbent Harold Rogers. The only district to go to a Democrat was District 3, won by incumbent John Yarmouth.

Minnesota

In Minnesota, Democrat Amy Klobuchar has comfortably won re-election. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee during Brett Kavanaugh’s hearings, Klobuchar gained significant national attention earlier this year, even drawing speculation about a presidential run in 2020. With 12 percent reporting, she’s far ahead of Jim Newberger, her Republican challenger as of 10 p.m.

Mississippi

With 7 percent reporting, Mississippi’s Republican Senator Roger Wickers’ re-election is official. The win is an unsurprising one, with Democrat David Baria having been nearly 30 points behind in the polls. Mississippi’s special election will be tighter, with Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Mike Espy contesting the race for the state’s second seat in the Senate.

New Jersey

Democrat Robert Menendez will retain his Senate seat in New Jersey. With 31 percent reporting, the incumbent has won the race with a narrow lead over Bob Hugin, his Republican challenger. This was a crucial race for Democrats, with likely losses in states like North Dakota and Missouri later in the night.

New York

A district which was considered a toss up, New York’s 22nd Congressional District, has flipped. Democrat Anthony Brindisi won the race against incumbent Republican Claudia Tenney with 53 percent of the vote. The seat could be essential if the Republicans were to keep control of the House of Representatives. Brindisi is a lawyer and former state assemblyman from Utica.

In New York’s 19th District, Democrat Antonio Delgado took the seat with 51 percent of the vote. Republican incumbent John Faso garnered 47 percent. Though the race was close, Delgado was expected to defeat Faso. Delgado is a lawyer and former Rhodes scholar from Schenectady.

As expected, Republican incumbent Elise Stefanik has won New York’s 21st Congressional District with 57 percent of the vote. Though her Democratic opponent, Tedra Cobb, built significant grassroots support — it was not enough to flip the seat. Cobb managed to garner 41 percent of the vote with 54 percent reported.