Previous GOP Turncoat Charlie Crist to go up Against Ron DeSantis After Defeating Nikki Fried in Dem FL Gov Primary

Democrat Charlie Crist, who previously was a Republican governor of Florida, has defeated opponent Nikki Fried in the Florida Governor primary.

Crist announced in a tweet after securing the nomination, “I’m Charlie Crist and I’m proud to be your Florida Democratic nominee that will defeat Ron DeSantis this November.”

Fried, who was favored to win before Crist entered the race, vowed not to stop fighting in a concession speech after the election.

“Tonight is the start of a new chapter,” Fried declared.

Crist ultimately secured nearly 60% of the vote, while Fried pulled in a shade over 35%, with two other Democrats splitting the rest.

Meanwhile, polls show DeSantis holding a solid lead over Crist and 49% said in a recent Florida Chamber statewide poll that the state is headed in the right direction.

More than half of voters, 54%, approve of the job DeSantis is doing as Governor, according to the same poll.

DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw has spent the night mostly celebrating victories for DeSantis-backed candidates throughout the state.

Particularly, there were many victories for school board candidates that had been backed by DeSantis.