Crist confident he will be Democrats’ choice to take on DeSantis in November

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Democratic candidate Charlie Crist is no stranger to elections.

Crist, who served as Florida’s 44th governor from 2007 to 2011 and more recently as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017, knows the challenges he will likely face this fall.

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First, he will have to beat his democratic primary opponent, Nikki Fried.

Most public polling has Crist leading Fried, but in a closed primary like Florida, late surges can and do happen.

Read: 2022 Florida primary: What you need to know

After casting his ballot at his home precinct in St. Petersburg, Crist said he’s confident he’ll win his primary and then again in November.

“Having won three statewide elections I think I have the best opportunity to meet Ron DeSantis in November and that is the goal here,” Crist said.

Live updates: Central Florida voters have till 7 p.m. till cast their ballot in the primary

To win the Governor’s race, Crist will have to overcome DeSantis’ clear advantage.

Many say with an approval rating of 50% and more than $130 million in campaign cash, DeSantis will be hard to beat.

“I think a lot of people are really fed up with his bullying style. Trying to tell school boards what to do, firing recently our state attorney in Hillsboro county — such an abuse of power and overreach. I think people are ready for civility and decency in the governor’s office again,” Crist said.

Read: Fried, Crist make final push in race for gubernatorial primary

Crist said he feels a coalition of democrats, independents and moderate Republicans will help send him back to Tallahassee.

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