Openly gay state representative Joe Saunders was ousted by his challenger on Nov. 6.
The race came down to fewer than 700 votes. Republican Rene “Coach P” Plascencia earned 18, 906 votes, just edging out incumbent Saunders who pulled in 18,189 votes.
“We just didn’t make it over the finish line today,” Saunders told a supportive audience during an election night event at The Abbey. “I’m equal parts totally devastated and equal parts totally relieved.”
Watch Saunders’ full speech:
Two years ago, Saunders made history by becoming the first openly gay legislator sworn into the Florida legislature. (He was the second openly gay candidate voted into the legislature, beat to the punch by Democrat David Richardson, a CPA from Miami Beach, who secured his seat in the August primary elections. Saunders won his bid during the 2012 November general elections.)
