All eyes are on the biggest race in Florida – the Democratic candidate for governor.
State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who was once Florida’s governor are vying to go up against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in November.
On Primary Day, Crist was in Saint Petersburg where he’s lived ever since he was a child. People know him as a neighbor and call him by his first name. In elections past, Crist was out on Primary Day visiting precincts and shaking hands, but on Tuesday, he kept a pretty low profile.
He was spotted casting his own vote at a polling place in his hometown. He also was in Tampa in his congressman role meeting with United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
“A woman’s right to choose is on the ballot. Democracy is on the ballot,” he emphasized at a recent campaign stop.
Crist is ahead of Fried in money, endorsements and in most polls.
Voter Dick Oliver, who was at the polls in St. Pete said he trusts Crist because of his record. “He has changed over time, but that’s good. Some people never change.”
Crist has changed. He was Florida’s Republican governor from 2007 to 2011, became Florida’s first elected Republican Attorney General from 2003-2007 and the Florida Commissioner of Education from 2001-2003. Now he is a Democratic congressman whose evolving politics and party change have been used against him, but also to support him.
Meanwhile, in Tallahassee, Nikki Fried cast her vote on Tuesday, then headed to a cabinet meeting with DeSantis. She claims he jampacked the meeting with a bloated agenda to keep her from campaigning.
“He’s scared of me winning tonight so he’s doing in his power to keep me off the campaign trail. It is unfortunate that this is only our second cabinet meeting of the year and if I know this governor, it will be the last one,” Fried said.
DeSantis had words about Fried: “She had an opportunity of being the only Democrat elected statewide to exercise some leadership and maybe get some things done and instead she used her time to basically try to smear me on a daily basis.”
But as soon as she could, she was in Wellington courting Democratic voters and then to Lauderhill.
Fried says she believes that Florida voters are tired of the “same old same old” referring to Crist and she promises to bring something new to the table.
She wants to improve the economy, gun safety, education, and she wants to protect a woman’s right to choose.
She said that her first order of business, if she is elected governor, will be to declare an emergency for women’s reproductive healthcare.
View results for Governor below as they come in:
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State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who was once Florida’s governor are vying to go up against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in November.
On Primary Day, Crist was in Saint Petersburg where he’s lived ever since he was a child. People know him as a neighbor and call him by his first name. In elections past, Crist was out on Primary Day visiting precincts and shaking hands, but on Tuesday, he kept a pretty low profile.
He was spotted casting his own vote at a polling place in his hometown. He also was in Tampa in his congressman role meeting with United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
“A woman’s right to choose is on the ballot. Democracy is on the ballot,” he emphasized at a recent campaign stop.
Crist is ahead of Fried in money, endorsements and in most polls.
Voter Dick Oliver, who was at the polls in St. Pete said he trusts Crist because of his record. “He has changed over time, but that’s good. Some people never change.”
Crist has changed. He was Florida’s Republican governor from 2007 to 2011, became Florida’s first elected Republican Attorney General from 2003-2007 and the Florida Commissioner of Education from 2001-2003. Now he is a Democratic congressman whose evolving politics and party change have been used against him, but also to support him.
Meanwhile, in Tallahassee, Nikki Fried cast her vote on Tuesday, then headed to a cabinet meeting with DeSantis. She claims he jampacked the meeting with a bloated agenda to keep her from campaigning.
“He’s scared of me winning tonight so he’s doing in his power to keep me off the campaign trail. It is unfortunate that this is only our second cabinet meeting of the year and if I know this governor, it will be the last one,” Fried said.
DeSantis had words about Fried: “She had an opportunity of being the only Democrat elected statewide to exercise some leadership and maybe get some things done and instead she used her time to basically try to smear me on a daily basis.”
But as soon as she could, she was in Wellington courting Democratic voters and then to Lauderhill.
Fried says she believes that Florida voters are tired of the “same old same old” referring to Crist and she promises to bring something new to the table.
She wants to improve the economy, gun safety, education, and she wants to protect a woman’s right to choose.
She said that her first order of business, if she is elected governor, will be to declare an emergency for women’s reproductive healthcare.
View results for Governor below as they come in:
Continue reading...
