U.S. congressman facing campaign finance probe ousted in Florida primary battle

FILE PHOTO: Carlos Gimenez, mayor of Miami-Dade, Florida, speaks during a rally with Venezuelans living in Miami, Florida, U.S. February 1, 2020. REUTERS/Eva Marie Uzcategui

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Freshman U.S. Representative Ross Spano was ousted by a challenger in the Florida Republican primary Tuesday amid a federal investigation into campaign finance violations from two years ago.

In a statement, Spano conceded defeat to Scott Franklin, a businessman and commissioner from the city of Lakeland. Spano has acknowledged mistakes with respect to campaign loans in 2018 but says they were unintentional.