Charlie Crist Wins Democratic Primary—And Will Face DeSantis

Topline

Rep. Charlie Crist won the Democratic primary for Florida’s gubernatorial race Tuesday, defeating Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, as Crist seeks to unseat rising star Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and reclaim the governor’s office—a position Crist once held as a Republican.

Key Facts

The Associated Press called the Democratic primary for Crist at 8 p.m. Tuesday evening, with roughly 79% of votes counted statewide.

Crist led with 60.2% of the vote, followed by Fried at 35%, according to results compiled by the AP.

Crist is ahead in every Florida county except Alachua County, which is home to the University of Florida, where Fried leads 49% to 47%.

What To Watch For

Crist will face off in November against DeSantis, who has led both Democratic candidates in recent general election polls. DeSantis won the 2018 gubernatorial race by a razor-thin 0.4-point margin against Andrew Gillum, but his approval rating among Floridians is above 50% in many polls, and the state has consistently elected Republican governors since the late 1990s.

Surprising Fact

Crist’s campaign for the Democratic nomination follows an unusual transformation for the longtime Florida politician. Crist was a Republican during his stint as governor from 2007 to 2011, but he ran for Senate as an independent in 2010 after struggling in that race’s GOP primary (he lost the general election to Marco Rubio, a Republican). Crist became a Democrat in 2012, won his new party’s nomination for governor in 2014, lost the race to Republican Rick Scott and eventually won a House seat on Florida’s Gulf Coast in 2016. Since then, he has served in the House as a Democrat.

Key Background

DeSantis has often loomed large in the race between Fried and Crist. The incumbent governor is a polarizing figure whose skepticism of Covid-19 mitigation measures and outspoken stance on culture issues has outraged Democrats nationwide and endeared him to Republicans, and he’s widely seen as a top contender in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, behind former President Donald Trump. Both Democratic candidates have assailed DeSantis and accused him of authoritarian tendencies, with Fried using her position as agriculture commissioner—the only statewide elected office in Florida held by a Democrat—to criticize DeSantis, while Crist has taken aim at both DeSantis and the GOP, his former party. The two candidates have often clashed, however: Fried has questioned Crist’s history as a Republican and his shifting stance on abortion, while Crist has touted his endorsements from Florida Democrats and accused Fried of acting out of “desperation.”