TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — This was the year Florida’s Democrats spoke ambitiously of ending their 20-year journey in political exile in this battleground state. Instead, election results after a tense and bruising recount showed Republicans coming out on top for governor and even picking up a U.S. Senate seat. After a recount dragged on for nearly two weeks, top Democratic candidates in the state came agonizingly close but fell short of their avowed goal. Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum conceded Saturday, followed by three-term incumbent U.S.