Democrat Andrew Gillum officially ends bid for Florida governor, congratulates Republican Ron DeSantis

Associated Press/Steve Cannon

Andrew Gillum the Democrat candidate for governor speaks at a news conference on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Tallahassee, Fla.

• Democrat Andrew Gillum conceded the Florida governor's race and congratulated his Republican opponent, Ron DeSantis.
• Gillum initially conceded on election night, but retracted it after the vote margin narrowed.
• After a recount, DeSantis still led the race by more than 30,000 votes.

Democrat Andrew Gillum says he is ending his hard-fought race for Florida governor and has congratulated Republican Ron DeSantis.

Gillum posted a live video on Facebook on Saturday afternoon in which he congratulated DeSantis. Gillum had conceded to DeSantis on election night, but retracted it after the margin between the two candidates narrowed. The race went to a legally required recount, but after an initial machine recount DeSantis still led Gillum by more than 30,000 votes.

Gillum, who is Tallahassee's mayor, isn't saying what he plans to do next.

"Stay tuned," he said in his brief remarks. Nonetheless, Gillum says he will remain politically active, adding "the fight for Florida continues."

He also tweeted a thank-you to his supporters and said he intends to "keep fighting."

Gillum's announcement came hours after President Donald Trump said on Twitter that Gillum will be a "strong Democrat warrior" and a "force to reckon with."

There was no immediate response from DeSantis or his campaign.