Andrew Gillum, the first African-American candidate for governor of Florida, conceded the race to Ron DeSantis after the Republican was shown to be ahead by more than 1 percent, margins to large for a recount.

For Gillum, it was his first loss he's ever encountered while running for public office. Fifteen years ago at the age of 23, he became the youngest ever member of the Tallahassee City Commission. He was elected to a one-year term, which he held while completing his political science degree at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.

The next year, he was elected to a four-year term on the council with 72 percent of the vote. He was re-elected in both 2008 and 2012 as well.

By 2013, he announced his plans to run for mayor of Tallahassee. In a three-way race in 2014, Gillum again won a decisive majority, 76 percent, of the vote.

All told, that's five elections that Gillum won in a row. On Tuesday in his biggest race yet, the difference between winning and losing was the closest yet for the Democrat. Unofficial numbers with 99 percent of precincts reporting showed that DeSantis led with a margin of more than one percent, but nowhere close to two over Gillum.

In a tearful concession speech Tuesday evening, Gillum implored supporters to continue fighting for what they believe to be right.

"We may not have all shown up in the way we thought and hoped we would, but I still believe there are still more of us who believe in what is common and decent and what is right," Gillum said.

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Nate Chute is a producer with the USA Today Network. Follow him on Twitter at @nchute.