Florida Gov. Rick Scott recuses himself from certifying results in own race

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Florida faces lawsuits related to midterm recount

State AG Pam Bondi argues election supervisors need to be held accountable; Doug McKelway reports from Tallahassee, Florida.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced Wednesday he will recuse himself from certifying the results of his own election. The news comes as 67 counties in Florida are racing to meet a Thursday 3 p.m. recount deadline.

Scott had been largely silent about his role on the canvassing commission – a three-member board that signs off on the results of each federal, state and county election. The board is slated to meet on Tuesday to certify the results of the recount.

Shortly before noon, he tweeted: “I recused myself from certifying results on the Elections Canvassing Commission in 2014, and I will do so again this year. This is nothing new. Bill Nelson is confused and doesn't even know how Florida works- I have no role in supervising/overseeing the ongoing recount process."

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The governor’s recusal comes after the League of Women Voters and election watchdog group Common Cause filed a lawsuit to stop Scott from participating in the recount given his personal stake in the race.

Scott, a Republican, is locked in a tight battle in the state’s Senate race against Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson.

Florida law mandates that any election decided by 0.5 percent or less will trigger a recount.

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Florida officially declared a recount Saturday and since then, the state’s 67 county election offices have been racing against time running their ballots through the tallying machine.

Both Nelson and Scott were on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for photographs and to vote in Senate Republican leadership elections – even though the race for Nelson’s seat has not yet been called.

At a press conference alongside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, on Tuesday, Nelson repeatedly called for Scott to recuse himself from the recount and insisted that the incumbent senator had a good chance of being re-elected.

"Republicans know that if this recount is conducted fairly and thoroughly that Sen. Nelson has an excellent chance of being reelected,” Schumer told reporters.

Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.