Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in Florida on Tuesday, giving the Republican billionaire businessman the state's 29 crucial electoral votes in his quest for the presidency.

Trump won 49.1 percent of the vote to Clinton's 47.7 percent — a difference of about 130,000 votes of the 9.5 million cast.

Trump racked up huge margins over Democrat Clinton in rural counties to counter her substantial advantages in urban counties, including Orange.

Susan MacManus, a professor of political science at the University of South Florida, said Trump's triumph came about in part because of frustration over the economy, concerns about national security and his party's get-out-the-vote efforts.

"Suburban and rural white voters felt left behind in the economy," MacManus said, citing one poll that showed two-thirds of Floridians said they still suffered from the economic downturn.

In a statement, Blaise Ingoglia, chairman of the Florida Republican Party, congratulated Trump on his win.

"The people of Florida have spoken, and they have chosen a new way forward and rejected the status quo," Ingoglia said.

"I'm stunned,'' said longtime GOP operative Mac Stipanovich, an outspoken opponent of Trump. "Obviously there are a lot of angry people out there who are willing to take an incredible risk to work out their anger.

"What Donald Trump supports is contrary to what the Republican Party has stood for," he said. "I mean, are we really going to start rounding up 11 million people and deport them? Are we really going to ban Muslims?"

Democratic political consultant Dick Batchelor of Orlando said the Clinton ground game was not as strong as many thought it would be.

"Certainly never in my wildest dreams did I think Donald Trump would attract as much support in his bid for president," he added. "It says a lot that he tapped into something not registered by a lot of people, including pollsters."

Turnout in the state was strong, reaching 74 percent. In Orange County, it was 71 percent; Seminole was 78 percent; and Lake 77 percent.

The candidates essentially split Central Florida down the middle.

Clinton's margin of victory over Trump in Orange was 24 percent. Trump won by 1.5 percent in Seminole, and by about 23 percent in Lake County. Clinton took Osceola County by 25 percent.

The election marked the end of a frenzy of campaigning in the Sunshine State, especially in the key swing area of Central Florida's I-4 corridor.

For weeks, Trump, Clinton and their running mates crisscrossed the region on campaign stops from Daytona Beach to Kissimmee and many points in between.

In the waning days, President Obama made the rare move of holding two Clinton rallies in Central Florida in little more than a week.

Even those who never made it out to any campaign event were bombarded with ads on TV and online.

The Orlando market was No. 1 in the nation for presidential campaign TV ad spending with $8.3 million worth as of October, according to a Wesleyan University study, with 84 percent of which in support of Clinton.

Voting in Central Florida went smoothly, with few lines. Election officials said it helped that half of the state's voters cast ballots by mail or voted early.

At the North Park Baptist Church in Orlando, Karthik Chivukula said he wasn't feeling the same enthusiasm he did in 2008, when Barack Obama became the nation's first black president. But picking Clinton over Trump was easy, he said.

"Some of the things he's said about groups of people that I identify with have been very untenable for me," he said.

Dan Dennis of Winter Garden, voting at the Stoneybrook West Golf Club, said he sat out the past two presidential elections because he was fed up with politics as usual.

"This time, you actually have a citizen running," Dennis said of Trump. "It was exciting to vote for him."

At the University of Central Florida, college Republicans put a mock Hillary Clinton in an orange jumpsuit behind bars. Democrats rapped outside the Student Union while a man draped in a rainbow flag danced.

"There's no way you could forget it was Election Day," said Julian Pollifrone, 19, who added that he voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson.

"The president represents who we are as a nation," the freshman said. "I don't like what Trump represents. I don't like what Hillary represents."

Staff writers Bethany Rodgers, Gabrielle Russon, Gray Rohrer and Ryan Gillespie contributed to this report.

slemongello@orlandosentinel.com or 407-418-5920