FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Republican Matt Caldwell and his campaign for agricultural commissioner filed a lawsuit on Friday in Broward County Circuit Court against Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes.
According to the division of elections, Nicole "Nikki" Fried took the lead over Caldwell in the race for Florida agriculture commissioner. Caldwell lost by 3,005 votes to Fried. A 0.04 percent would signal an automatic recount that would likely have to be done manually.
In the lawsuit, Caldwell echoes Republican Gov. Rick Scott's accusations in his U.S. Senate race against Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, and alleges that the counting of any absentee ballots received after Wednesday at 7 p.m. is in violation of Florida law.
Caldwell is also calling for a "forensic reconstruction of when ballots were cast and how."
Fort Lauderdale attorney George LeMieux, a former U.S. senator from Florida, is representing Caldwell.