According to a race call by The Associated Press, Democratic incumbent Charlie Crist will take on Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the general election for governor of Florida.
Former Republican governor of Florida, Crist is now a Democrat serving in the House of Representatives.
The governor’s primary has brought attention to a rift within the state’s Democratic Party. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, Crist’s opponent, attacked him for his record as governor and for changing his position on topics like abortion and criminal justice.
Tuesday night, as Crist declared victory, he complimented Fried for a vigorous campaign, but it was obvious that he had DeSantis firmly in his sights.
By positioning himself as the candidate most likely to defeat DeSantis in November, Crist outraised Fried and has run as a centrist. He has made an effort to win over independent voters and disenchanted Republicans, and he has received support from influential Democratic-leaning organizations like the state’s teachers union.
Charlie Crist has a mediocre track record of electoral success. He broke away from the GOP in order to challenge Marco Rubio for the U.S. Senate in 2010 as an independent. In 2014, he ran again for governor as a Democrat but lost to Republican Rick Scott, who is now a senator, by approximately a percentage point.
After the Democratic primary has concluded, Crist will take on DeSantis in November.
Charlie Crist vs DeSantis: The November governorship race
Rumor has it that Ron DeSanti, Florida’s powerful governor, is thinking about running for president in 2024. He has more than $100 million in the bank and has increased his national profile. DeSantis has developed a reputation for fighting for issues in education, including as how educators talk to their pupils about racism, history, and LGBTQ individuals. He has pushed for new rules that limit discussions about certain topics in public school settings, including workplaces.
In order for Crist to prevail in November, he will need to win over some of Florida’s almost 4 million unaffiliated voters. In the state, registered Republicans now outnumber Democrats, yet statewide contests have frequently been close. In 2018, DeSantis won by almost one percentage point.
