Tri-county voters overwhelmingly supported President Trump’s re-election, sending him to victory by a wide margin in the tri-county area.
Trump picked up 67.77 percent of the vote in Sumter County.
In 2016, Trump won 68.8 percent of the vote in Sumter County to Hillary Clinton’s 29.5 percent share of the electorate. Vice President Joe Biden didn’t gain much ground four years later, as he collected 31.67 percent of the vote in Sumter County.
The Sumter County electorate grew by about 17,000 voters in four years, and Trump captured the vast majority of those new voters.
Trump won every single precinct in Sumter County, included precincts in Wildwood and Royal where he pulled off narrow victories, the more Democratic-leaning areas. Trump won Royal four years ago but lost to Clinton in Wildwood by 59 votes.
The president showered plenty of attention on the tri-county area in the final weeks of the contest, flying Air Force One into Ocala International Airport on Oct. 16 and landing in Marine One one week later at The Villages Polo Fields.
MARION COUNTY
President Donald Trump continued his dominance of Marion County during Tuesday night’s election. With all 122 precincts reporting, he garnered 62.44 percent (109,148 votes) to Democratic challenger Joe Biden’s 36.56 percent (68,557 votes).
Trump’s vote totals were 38,732 cast on election day, 55,549 during early voting and 33,463 mailed-in ballots. Biden’s totals were 12,243 votes on election day, 23,308 in early voting and 39,251 mailed-in ballots.
Trump’s Oct. 16 campaign stop in Ocala was a highly popular event that saw him rave about his health following his battle with COVID-19 and the size of the crowd, which included thousands of supporters – some of whom had lined up for more than a mile to hear the president speak.
That visit marked his second to the Ocala Airport. In October 2019, Air Force One flew into the facility and after greeting dignitaries that included Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn and then-Marion County Commission Chairman Michelle Stone and other supporters on the tarmac, Trump flew aboard Marine One to The Villages for a Medicare-themed event at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center.
LAKE COUNTY
Trump easily carried Lake County much the same way he did four years ago. With 103 of 104 precincts reporting, the president had garnered 59.5 percent (125,498 votes) to Democratic challenger Joe Biden’s 39.39 percent (83,072 votes).
Trump’s vote totals were 37,518 cast on election day, 59,392 during the early voting period and 28,588 mailed-in ballots. Biden’s totals were 13,075 votes cast on election day, 30,878 through early voting and 39,119 mailed-in ballots.
