Charlie Crist won the Democratic primary for Florida's gubernatorial race Tuesday, defeating Agriculture CommissionerNikki Fried, as Crist seeks to oust rising star Gov. Ron DeSantis and regain the governor's office.
Crist spoke to the media before casting his vote.
The Democratic primary was called by the AP. A majority of votes were counted Tuesday evening.
According to the results compiled by the AP, Crist led with 60.2% of the vote.
In Alachua County, where the University of Florida is located, Crist leads Fried by a wide margin.
Crist will face off against DeSantis in the general election. Since the late 1990s, the state of Florida has elected Republican governors with an approval rating above 50%.
After a long career in Florida politics, Crist is running for the Democratic nomination. During his time as governor, Crist was a Republican, but in 2010 he ran for Senate as an independent, losing the election to Marco Rubio, a Republican. After becoming a Democrat in 2012 and winning his party's nomination for governor in 2014, Crist lost the race to Republican Rick Scott and then won a seat in the Florida Legislature. He joined the House as a Democrat.
In the race between Fried and Crist, DeSantis has been a big player. The incumbent governor is a polarizing figure whose skepticism of Covid-19 mitigation measures and outspoken stance on culture issues has angered Democrats nationwide and endeared him to Republicans, and he is seen as a top contender in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, behind former President Donald Trump. Fried, the only statewide elected office in Florida held by a Democrat, used her position as agriculture commissioner to criticize DeSantis, while Crist, the only statewide elected office in Florida held by a Republican, took aim at both of the parties. Fried questioned Crist's history as a Republican and his shifting stance on abortion and Crist accused Fried of acting out of desperation.
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