Florida Democratic Primary: Former Republican Governor

The former Republican governor, and now Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist from Florida, has lost to Democratic Commissioner for Agriculture Nikki Fried (according to PBS News).

Crist won with 60.2% of the vote, as of 8 p.m. EST according to PBS, citing reporting by The Associated Press. Crist will now face the Republican governor as the Democratic candidate. Ron DeSantis, along with a list of minor third-party and write in candidates will face Crist as the Democratic candidate against Republican Gov.

Heading into the Aug. 23 primary, Crist was the outsize favorite, having gathered key endorsements from the Florida teacher’s union, a former head of the Democratic National Committee, several environmental groups (who have long viewed Crist as an ally) and black faith groups, according to Politico. In addition, over 150 local and state level politicians and community leaders endorsed Crist, compared to just 25 who endorsed Fried, with Crist securing twice as many endorsements from organizations, 12 to Fried’s five.

“Right now, the state really needs someone who can address the staffing shortages we have in so many professions, and the need to bring more job opportunities for Floridians,” Coy Jones, regional political director for SEIU Local 1199 said to the Tallahassee Democrat. “We see Charlie Crist as someone who can help do that.”

The campaign has been heated at times, especially in recent weeks as Crist sought to secure his victory, Politico reported. When asked by Politico about his negative remarks about Fried, Crist said that he was “accurate”.

Crist called Fried a “Republican lobbyist for big tobacco and insurance companies,” and criticized her longtime friendship with Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who is currently under investigation over allegations he paid a 17-year-old girl for sex, according to Politico. Politico reported that Fried and Gaetz had a close relationship when Gaetz was a Florida state legislator who participated in Florida’s effort to legalize marijuana. However, Fried cut all ties with Gaetz over these allegations.

Fried had focused on parts of Crist’s past record and emphasized the fact that Crist, who was Republican governor and has taken pro-life and anti-gay marriage positions in the past. Politico reported. Fried tried to portray herself as a dedicated Democrat and the party’s best hope to defeat DeSantis. She cited her track record as an agriculture commissioner in Florida and as a Democrat who won the state office of Florida. They see that I have taken on Ron DeSantis over the past three and a quarter years,” Fried said last week according to Tallahassee Democrat. “I’m able to tackle him on issue after issue and that I can get into the trenches and not just throw punches, but land them.”

Both candidates face an uphill battle against DeSantis, who had a roughly eight-point lead over both, according to a recent poll by the Florida Chamber of Commerce released Friday. According to the same poll, Desantis boasted a 54% approval rating, with roughly half of respondents believing that Florida is on the right track, compared to 30% that believed the country was.

“I think the litmus test for voters in this election is one question and one question only: Who is the best to beat Ron DeSantis,” said Fernand Amandi, a Democratic pollster to Politico ahead of the primary. “Nikki couldn’t answer this one question well, and Charlie has .”

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