Although the primaries held this Tuesday in Florida did not provide surprising dataat least reaffirmed the intensity that is projected for the November legislative elections.
Thus, Democrat Charlie Crist will face current Governor Ron DeSantis, which will make this race a race to be closely watched, since the former held that position 10 years ago, passed through the federal congress and his candidacy seems to underpin the hope among Democrats.
DeSantis, who has come down in the polls in Floridaand aspires to defeat an eventual presidential race of former president Donald Trump in 2024, promises to give Crist a strong battle.
In selecting Crist, Florida Democrats sided with a candidate backed by many in the establishment of the party, who saw him as the safest option, even after he lost his two previous statewide elections.
The 66-year-old moderate Democrat hopes to appeal to voters in Florida’s bustling suburbs, reversing a losing pattern in a state recently seen as a perennial political battleground. Given the stakes, Democrats in Florida and beyond expressed a real sense of urgency to counter DeSantis’ push.
Crist denounced DeSantis as a “bully,” “abusive” and “dangerous,” in his victory speech.
“Tonight, the people of Florida clearly sent a message: They want a governor who cares about them and solves real problems, preserves our freedom, not a thug who divides us and takes away our freedom. This guy wants to be president of the United States of America and we all know it. However, when we defeat him on November 8, the show will end. It’s enough”.
Crist won the Democratic nomination over Nikki Fried, the state agriculture commissioner. She undertook a more progressive campaign and was particularly vocal in advocating for abortion and LGBTQ rights. Fried, 44, presented herself as “something new” and hoped to become Florida’s first female governor. In a sign of the party’s slim standing in Florida, she is currently the only Democrat holding statewide office.
“We are going to make Ron DeSantis a one-term governor and a non-term president of the United States,” he said as he conceded defeat in the primary on Tuesday, calling on his supporters to rally behind Crist.
DeSantis, who was unopposed in the Republican primary — which is why he automatically won — won the last 2020 election by less than half a percentage point, but soon became one of the most prominent figures in Republican politics.
His decision not to intervene in the coronavirus pandemic and his enthusiasm for leaning into divisions over race, gender and LGBTQ+ rights have resonated with many Republican voters, who see DeSantis as a natural heir to former President Donald Trump.
In a raucous Hialeah ballroom, a strong Trump stronghold in South Florida, an ardent DeSantis on Tuesday refused to say Crist’s name, instead presenting the general election as a contest against President Joe Biden and the ideology “awakened”.
“We will never give in to the awakening agenda,” DeSantis charged. “Florida is a state where awakening is going to die.” “Wake up” is how some Democrats defend their party principles.
The Florida primary concludes the busiest stretch of primaries this year, which saw internal elections in 18 states over just 22 days. In that span, Republicans from Arizona to Alaska have thrown their support behind contestants who bought into Trump’s rhetoric that the 2020 election was stolen, a claim that election officials, the former president’s attorney general and his appointees roundly rejected. .
The future of Marco Rubio
Another legislative election that will attract attention in November is the one that will decide the future of Cuban-American Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who has also lost popularity in recent weeks. On Tuesday, Democrats decided to send Val Demings, 65, a former police chief, three-time state legislator, major fundraiser, and one who has seen her political career skyrocket, to confront him.
If she wins in November, Demings would be the first African-American female US senator. In the primaries she obtained 79.62% of the votes.
Rubio did not have to stand in these elections among the Republicans because no one opposed him. This allows an exact measurement of the popularity of the senator, who in the primaries four years ago won in 166 counties in Florida and lost in only one, his: Miami-Dade.
While some Democrats are hopeful that Demings could unseat Rubio, the party’s national leadership is prioritizing competitive Senate races in other states, including neighboring Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Demings sounded upbeat as she reflected on her unlikely life story before a cheering crowd of supporters on Tuesday.
“Together, I truly believe in this daughter of a maid and janitor who is not supposed to be standing here tonight, I truly believe that together we can do anything,” she said.
“We won these primaries, the time has come to remove Rubio,” he added.
