According to ABC News, Rep. Charlie Crist defeated Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Tuesday in Florida's Democratic primary for governor, setting up a high-profile contest against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the fall.
With nearly 60% of the total votes cast and Fried coming in second with roughly 35%, Crist prevailed with roughly 92% of the total votes cast.The next opponent for Crist will be DeSantis, a prominent GOP culture fighter who has emerged as a key Democratic bogeyman and forced through multiple laws in Florida on matters like debating sexual orientation and gender in public schools.
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Prior to standing for the House as a Democrat, Crist was governor of Florida, but he did it as a Republican. After leaving office, he later declared himself an independent. He said that by running against Fried, the sole statewide elected Democrat in Florida, he might win over a larger portion of the electorate with his more moderate "happy warrior" image.
DeSantis enters the general election with a war fund of over $130 million and an increasing national recognition. He narrowly won his 2018 battle.
Democrats want to remove him from office in an effort to prevent the first-term governor from running for president in 2024 as well as to reclaim the governor's mansion.In the primary, Fried and Crist sparred on who had the most ideologically pure platform and could beat DeSantis.
Fried's affiliation with the Republican Party was another issue for Crist. She worked as a lobbyist for a medicinal marijuana business and supported DeSantis ally and current education commissioner, former state senator Manny Diaz of Miami. Fried and Rep. Matt Gaetz, a supporter of Trump, were also college pals.
Fried criticized Crist for changing parties, portraying him as wimpy on important Democratic issues like access to abortion, and asserted that she might generate a groundswell of Democratic voters in this November's election.
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