The Democratic establishment has largely lined up behind Charlie Crist, a 66-year-old Democratic congressman who served as the state’s Republican governor more than a decade ago. Now running as a moderate Democrat, Crist faces 44-year-old Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who hopes to become the state’s first female governor while leaning on the fight for abortion rights. The race is ultimately a debate about who is best suited to defeat DeSantis, who emerged from a narrow victory four years ago to become one of the most prominent Republicans in politics. His relatively light touch handling of the pandemic and his willingness to lean into divisions over race, gender and LGBTQ rights resonate with many Republican voters who see DeSantis as a natural heir to former President Donald Trump. His re-election bid is widely seen as a harbinger of a 2024 presidential bid, adding a sense of urgency among Democrats to blunt his rise now. “I’ve been in the trenches. I took over DeSantis,” Fried told The Associated Press. DeSantis “won’t have 2024 because he won’t have 2022. We’re going to beat him in November and kill all his aspirations to be a candidate for president of the United States.” Crist, in an interview, described DeSantis as a threat to democracy. “It is the opposite of freedom. He is bossy. He is a demagogue. And I think people are sick of him,” Crist said of the incumbent Republican governor, noting that DeSantis earlier this year admonished a group of high school students for wearing face masks at an indoor news conference. “Who is this guy? Who does he think he is? He’s not the boss.” The Florida contest wraps up the busiest qualifying series this year. Republicans from Pennsylvania to Arizona have supported candidates who bought into Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen, a claim that election officials, the former president’s attorney general and judges he appointed have roundly rejected. And for the most part, Democrats have avoided brutal primary battles. That could be tested on Tuesday, however, as voters in New York participate in congressional primaries that include two powerful Democratic committee chairmen, Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler, competing for the same seat and other incumbents who fend off challenges from the left. Democrats are entering the final weeks before the midterm elections with a sense of cautious optimism, hoping that the Supreme Court decision overturning a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion will energize the party’s base. But Democrats still face huge headwinds, including economic uncertainty and the historical reality that most parties lose seats in the first midterm after winning the White House. The dynamic is particularly difficult for Democrats in Florida, one of the most politically divided states in the U.S. The last three gubernatorial races have been decided by 1 percentage point or less. But the state has become steadily more favorable to Republicans in recent years. For the first time in modern history, Florida has more registered Republicans — nearly 5.2 million — than Democrats, who have nearly 5 million registered voters. Fried serves as the state’s only Democrat. And Republicans have no primary competition for four of those five positions—governor, U.S. Senate, attorney general and chief financial officer—all of which are held by GOP incumbents. Democrats hope U.S. Rep. Val Demings, who faces a little-known candidate in Tuesday’s Senate primary, can unseat the state’s senior U.S. senator, Republican Marco Rubio, this fall. But for now, the party’s national leadership is prioritizing competitive Senate contests in other states, including neighboring Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania. In the Florida governor’s race, the Supreme Court’s decision on abortion has come to life in the final weeks of the Democratic primary. Fried has promoted herself as the only true abortion rights supporter in the race, capitalizing on Crist’s appointment of two conservative Supreme Court justices while he was governor. The conservative court will soon decide whether the Legislature’s Republican-backed law banning abortions after 15 weeks is constitutional. Florida’s new abortion law is in effect, with exceptions if the procedure is necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, to prevent serious injury, or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow exceptions in cases of rape, incest or human trafficking. Crist insisted he is “pro-choice” and highlighted a bill he vetoed as governor in 2010 that would have required women seeking first-trimester abortions to have and pay for an ultrasound. “It’s a woman’s right to choose,” Crist told the AP. “My record is spotless. And for my opponent to try to undermine that is unconscionable, unfair and unwise.” In experience and personality, voters have a clear contrast between Crist, a lifelong politician backed by the establishment who is seen as a relatively safe choice, and Fried, a younger person who may be better placed to catch fire with more passionate party voters. Crist has raised $14 million so far this election cycle, nearly twice as much as Fried. Having served in elected office since 1992, supporters describe him as reliable and courteous with an excellent memory. “He is the best retail politician in Florida this century. He is simply an outstanding politician. He’s asking about my grandchildren by name,” said Mac Stipanovich, a political strategist who served as chief of staff to former Republican Gov. Bob Martinez. Meanwhile, Fried has doubled his followers on every social network and is fast trending online. She built her profile as one of DeSantis’ fiercest opponents, regularly challenging him on policy related to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also created a position in her department to ensure that LGBTQ people are given opportunities as DeSantis pays attention to what the Human Rights Campaign recently described as an “attack on transgender Floridians.” DeSantis signed into law what opponents called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that bans classes on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade and limits them to the upper grades. He also supported the “Stop WOKE Act” that restricts racial conversation and analysis in business and education, although a Florida judge last week declared the law an unconstitutional violation of free speech. Such issues were good for DeSantis’ standing with GOP voters. The Florida governor touted his record at a weekend rally of more than 1,000 Pennsylvania voters, having already recently campaigned for Republican allies in Arizona, New Mexico and Ohio. DeSantis was officially in Pennsylvania to help GOP gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano. But DeSantis barely mentioned Mastriano’s name in remarks to his audience in Pittsburgh and instead focused on the political battles he fought in Florida to counter liberal “awakening ideology.” He has not indicated that he is running for re-election for governor this year. “If you lead and you lead with strength and courage, and you get results, the world will be with you,” DeSantis said.
People reported from Washington, Farrington from Tallahassee. Associated Press writer Marc Levy in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.
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