“I think that they have opposed every decision I've made to keep this state open, to respect their rights, to save jobs, to keep kids in school, to save businesses,” DeSantis said. Before becoming governor, he served as attorney general, education commissioner and a state senator.ĭeSantis described Crist as “a guy that's been running for office for five decades, who is voting with Biden 100 percent of the time, doesn’t even show up for the job, has lost so many times.”ĭeSantis also took aim at Democratic criticism of his actions, including his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rick Scott before getting elected to Congress in 2016. He became a Democrat and lost the 2014 gubernatorial race to then-Gov.

He was elected governor in 2006 as a Republican before making an unsuccessful run for the U.S. “We’ll see if Florida comes online at some point, but the political trendlines for Democrats in that state are bad even as it remains competitive,” Kondik added.Ĭrist is a known commodity in Florida politics. Kyle Kondik, managing editor of the Crystal Ball, said DeSantis “does not appear to be in any real danger as he seeks to extend the GOP’s gubernatorial winning streak there to 7.” Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a political prognostication site from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, isn’t optimistic about the prospects for the Florida Democrats, who have not won a governor’s race since 1994, when Gov. Susan MacManus, a longtime political-science professor at the University of South Florida, said Crist needs to unify the party and better target economic issues and plans for improvement, with “more effective means of communication.” “And I don't think that that's going to be something that is going to fly,” DeSantis said Tuesday morning, several hours before the polls closed. “Crist will need to convince national Democratic donors that he has a chance to beat DeSantis - or that they need to at least try to politically damage DeSantis now before he officially starts to run for president,” University of Central Florida political-science professor Aubrey Jewett said after Crist won about 60 percent of the votes in Tuesday’s primary against Fried.ĭeSantis said Crist, a Pinellas County congressman and former Republican governor, will simply reflect the policies of President Joe Biden, a frequent target of DeSantis’ attacks.

With the candidates now set in the November governor’s race, Democrat Charlie Crist faces an uphill battle as he tries to topple Republican incumbent Ron DeSantis, according to political experts.Ĭrist will have to unify the Democratic Party, an effort that might have gotten a boost Tuesday night when his primary opponent, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, called on the party to unite and elect Democrats in other races.Īt the same time, with DeSantis dominating news coverage and widely viewed as a potential 2024 presidential candidate, experts say Crist must focus on abortion rights, remind voters about unpopular aspects of DeSantis’ pandemic leadership, and, most importantly, quickly raise cash.

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