Issuu

www.alligator.org

We Inform. You Decide.

ELECTION

EDITION VOLUME 113 ISSUE 33

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Republicans dominate state, local races VOTER TURNOUT ROSE BY 13 PERCENT COMPARED TO THE LAST MIDTERM ELECTION. Staff Report Keith Perry’s daughter Alexis quickly grabbed a piece of cake with her father’s face on it as he announced his win. The crowd cheered “USA! USA! USA!” as Perry, who was re-elected as for state senator for District 8, addressed the crowd at Ballyhoo Grill. He thanked his family for their support during his fifth campaign. In Alachua County, more than 114,000 voters cast their ballots for the midterm elections, which is over 63 percent of the county’s voters, according to the Supervisor of Elections office. This is a surge of more than 13 percent compared to the last midterm election in 2014 where a little less than 80,000 ballots were cast. Republican Perry won 50 percent of the vote for the Florida State Senate Tuesday night compared to his Democratic opponent Dr. Kayser Enneking with 48 percent of the vote. Perry said his first act after being re-elected will be to sleep in Wednesday morning. Even on Tuesday, Perry was at the polls doing last-minute campaigning after seven months. “It’s really just a weight off your shoulders,” Perry said. “It’s a time to relax and regroup.” Enneking conceded the race to Perry in a cordial phone call, Perry said. “She ran a heck of a campaign,” Perry said. “A lot of people voted for Dr. Enneking, I need to make sure I represent them, listen to them, get input from them and try to make sure I represent this district and everyone involved.” Enneking wrote two speeches in preparation for Tuesday night, but they were almost identical. Win or lose, Enneking said she felt the same: thankful.

A crowd of more than 100 voters listened eagerly, some with red, watery eyes, as she conceded at Cypress & Grove Brewing Co. almost three hours after the start of a watch party with all the other local Democratic candidates. Though the results weren’t what she hoped for, she said she will be a better citizen after running for a political office. She said she better understands the people and issues she represents. Enneking beamed while she reflected on the last hours leading up to the disappointing results. When she came around the corner at her last stop of the evening, she said a line of voters spilled out of the building and wrapped around the parking lot. “It was democracy in action. It’s the America I know,” she said. U.S Rep. Ted Yoho won for the fourth time in a row Tuesday night, but this is the last time he’ll run for re-election. Surrounded by his wife, three kids, and long-time supporters at his watch party at The Social at Midtown, Yoho said that he ran a strong campaign and was honored his supporters wanted him back in office. Yoho, a Republican, won more than 58 percent of the vote compared to his Democratic opponent Yvonne Hayes Hinson at 42 percent. Yoho said voters must feel relieved. “No more robocalls, no more phone calls asking who you’re going to support,” he said. “We can go back to some normalcy in this country.” Yvonne Hayes Hinson campaigned until the last minute, but the 70-year-old said no matter the result, she’s at peace. “It was very clean. It was a lot of work,” Hayes Hinson said. “I think I got into every nook and cranny of the 3rd Congressional District. I know the heartbeat of those areas.” Though Hayes Hinson lost to Yoho, the former Gainesville city commissioner said she’s proud of how she ran her campaign.

Aaron Ritter / Alligator Staff

U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho smiles while he waits for the ﬁnal results of Florida’s 3rd Congressional District election. “I want to see the ﬁnal results, but I feel good,” Yoho said. Hayes Hinson said her integrity and strict focus on the issues at hand are the reasons why she’s content with the election’s outcome. “We stuck to the issues and the issues that mattered to the people. We always centered ourselves on what was necessary for the people,” she said. More than 120 people cheered as Clemons’ victory was announced. He took to the microphone to thank God and his supporters. “We have a divided nation now and we

need to work towards civility. We need to work towards solving problems with our neighbors in a kind way, Clemons said. “When I return to Tallahassee, I intend to start a wave of civility,” he said. Over three dozen young people worked on Clemons’ campaign, he said. Several of them had never participated in a political campaign before. “With young leaders like this, our country is in good hands for the next few years,” Clemons said.

SEE WATCH PARTY, PAGE 8

Aly Raisman talks sexual assault, Olympic career She was paid $56,000 to talk at UF. By Emma Witmer Alligator Staff Writer

Aly Raisman almost didn’t testify against her abuser in the trial, but at the last minute, she was inspired to use her voice for good. Raisman, the team captain of the gold medal-winning USA Gymnas-

tics teams in 2012 and 2016, talked about her experience testifying against her former gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar and standing up for herself at an Accent Speakers Bureau event Tuesday night. Raisman was paid $56,000 to appear and spoke for more than an hour at the sold-out show. Her

Men’s basketball opens season with whimper Nembhard, Ballard and Hudson pace Gators in an unbalanced showing against FSU. Who stepped up, and what needs to change?, pg. 14

speech at the University Auditorium was moderated by Ann Christiano, the director of the UF Center for Public Interest Communications. Raisman said she and nearly 300 other athletes came forward and accused Nassar of sexual abuse. “When I spoke, I felt very empowered in the moment,” Raisman

said. “Then when I left, I felt exhausted and could barely hold my head up.” She said she was empowered by the other women who came forward and her experiences have made her want to speak out against sexual misconduct in athletics and beyond. “If everybody actually did something to help, this would be a very different world,” Raisman said. Courtney Smithgall, a 23-year-

March to UF

March For Our Lives leaders visit campus before Election Day to get students to vote, pg. 3

Election Day from diﬀerent perspectives

The day for people including an immigrant and a felon, pg. 4

old UF physical therapy doctoral student, said she has been a fan of Raisman since she competed in the 2012 Olympics. “I loved hearing her speak about self-care and looking out for others around you,” Smithgall said. “There are things we often forget to do because of the craziness of college.”

@Emwitmer ewitmer@alligator.org