TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Concern that there may not be a decision on election night is putting a new focus on congressional elections in Florida and elsewhere.
If no presidential candidate receives 270 electoral votes, the ultimate decision would be up to the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Florida has 14 Republican and 13 Democratic members of the U.S. House.
“That is really significant if no candidate gets 270 electoral college votes and then the election of the president kicks in to the U.S. House of Representatives,” said retired University of South Florida political scientist Susan MacManus.
Two of the state’s 27 seats seem to be in play, including House District 15 in Polk County, where the incumbent lost a primary.
“And it is seen by Democrats as the biggest likelihood for a pickup by a Democrat,” MacManus said.
But the most vulnerable is House District 26, which is held by U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Democrat. She’s facing a strong challenge from Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
Florida Republicans are putting on a full-court press.
“You get one vote, and around the country now, it’s 26-24 in terms of states that have majority Republican delegations, and that makes the House of Representatives more important than ever,” said U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz.
Not since 1824 has the U.S. House decided who would be president -- when it chose John Quincy Adams, who lost the popular vote over Andrew Jackson.
He served just one term, and Jackson was elected president in 1828.
“Everything seems to be a long shot. It’s just one of the most unpredictable presidential contests,” MacManus said.
It almost happened in 2000.
The Florida House went so far as to name GOP electors just in case Florida’s election outcome and the outcome of the race were still tied up in court.