Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will get a shot at reclaiming his old office after cruising to victory over state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Crist, who opted to forgo a fourth term in Congress to run for his old office, will face off against Republican incumbent Ron DeSantis in November.
Rep. Charlie Crist won the office in 2006 under the GOP and served a single term. AP/Chris O'MearaThe Associated Press called the race for Crist at around 8 p.m. with about 1.2 million votes counted. The 66-year-old had received 59.8% of the vote with almost 85% of the expected ballots cast, comfortably outpacking Fried’s 35.3%
Crist will be considered a clear underdog against DeSantis, who will be seeking a second term and is considered by many to be a contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Crist won the Florida governorship in 2006 as a Republican and served a single term from 2007 to 2011.
He declined to seek re-election and instead ran for Senate, losing to Marco Rubio in the 2010 Republican primary.
Crist officially joined the Democratic Party in 2012 and launched another bid for governor in 2014, losing to Repubican Rick Scott, before winning a House seat in 2016.
The upcoming race will decide the political future of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who became well known in the GOP. Justin Merriman for The New York PostHoping to shed her underdog status, Fried hammered away at both DeSantis and Crist during the campaign and highlighted her commitment to abortion rights.
MAGA mainstay Rep. Matt Gaetz easily won his Florida congressional primary contest Tuesday, while another controversial backer of former president Donald Trump gave her incumbent opponent a surprise scare.
Gaetz prevailed in one of the Sunshine State’s most conservative districts despite being hounded by a federal investigation into alleged sex trafficking.
Staunchly endorsed by Trump, the Panhandle politician has maintained a prominent role on the GOP’s edgier flank despite his legal entanglements.
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida speaks at the Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2022. APAnother vocal Trump enthusiast, controversial former InfoWars contributor Laura Loomer, lost a tight race to incumbent Republican Daniel Webster by a margin of 51 percent to 44 percent in the 11th District.
Loomer has been banned from most mainstream social media platforms for what critics call her Islamophobic and generally intolerant positions.
Elsewhere in Florida, Army veteran Cory Mills nabbed the Republican nomination for the state’s 7th Congressional District.
Democrat Stephanie Murphy vacated the seat after it was redrawn to include Republican strongholds in Orange and Volusia counties.
Mills beat out eight other candidates, including outspoken GOP maverick Anthony Sabatini.
Sabatini, who has called for defunding the FBI after the agency’s Mar-a-Lago operation and ripped aid to Ukraine, came in second in that contest.
Rep. Val Demings acknowledges supporters at an election-night event at the Varsity Club on Aug. 23, 2022 in Orlando, Fla. Getty Images
U.S. Rep. Val Demings speaks at an election-night event at the Varsity Club on August 23, 2022 in Orlando, Fla. Getty ImagesFlorida Democratic congressional fixtures Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Frederica Wilson also trounced their primary challengers Tuesday.
Bernie Sanders-backed Maxwell Frost secured the Democratic nomination for Florida’s 10th Congressional District, a seat vacated after Rep. Val Demings launched her bid to unseat Marco Rubio in the Senate.
Anna Paulina Luna won the Republican nomination in Florida’s 13th Congressional District vacated by gubernatorial hopeful Charlie Crist, and will now challenge Democratic nominee Eric Lynn.
