TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The race for the Democratic nomination to face Republican Governor Ron DeSantis in the November general election has been a two-person race ever since Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Representative Charlie Crist declared their respective candidacies.
Crist is seeking to return to the governor's mansion for the first time since he served a single term from 2007-2011. For Fried, she's seeking to take her statewide election success in 2018 to the top job in the state.
Both candidates spent most of 2022 trying to convince voters they are the best candidate to try to beat Governor DeSantis, who has been at or above 50% job approval for much of his tenure.
Much of the question in the campaign has been who can attract disillusioned Republican voters and moderates from both parties.
Crist supporters believe the 66-year-old former governor has the ability to cross the increasingly vicious party line to work with Republicans. Fried supporters, on the other hand, believe their candidate's liberal credentials will energize the base.
Both candidates face long odds when it comes to a statewide race against DeSantis.
Florida, which used to be the swing state in presidential elections, has, over the past several elections, tilted to the Republican Party.
Republicans control a majority in the state legislature, have consistently won the governor's office the last three times and control the state Supreme Court. Plus, even in a year when President Joe Biden won Georgia, Florida was solidly behind Republican President Donald Trump.
Crist has the edge in experience over Fried when it comes to public service.
His first job in office came in 1992 when he was elected to the Florida Senate. He later served as Florida's Education Commissioner, Attorney General, Governor, and his current job, Congressional Representative.
Still, one area that some Democrats believe could be exploited by the DeSantis campaign is Crist's shift from the Republican party to the Democratic party.
Crist won his 2006 gubernatorial election as a Republican, but by the time the 2010 election rolled around, Crist began his move to the political left. In 2009, Crist chose not to run for re-election as Republican support began to shrink.
Crist first ran for Senate as an unaffiliated candidate but came up short against Senator Marco Rubio. He became a Democrat in 2012 and later ran against Rick Scott for governor, but lost the 2014 election.
As a candidate, Crist is one of the only people to ever lose statewide races as a Republican, Democrat and unaffiliated candidate/nominee. Conversely, if he beats Fried and later topples DeSantis in November, he'd be one of the only candidates to win a governor's race as a Republican and Democrat.
While Crist has spent roughly three decades in and out of political office, Fried is seeking to cash in on her first statewide win. In 2018, Fried won the job of Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Fried has embraced her shorter record by saying she is the candidate who is "Something New for Florida." She's also used social media heavily to try to get her campaign message out.
The Fried campaign has highlighted Crist's past as a Republican and his previous support for conservative policies while a member of the GOP and attempted to firmly place her to the left of the former governor.
One issue that could help decide the race has been abortion. Ever since the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, pro-choice voters, who are primarily Democrats, have given the Democratic Party a boost of energy.
Fried has hammered Crist for his previous support for curtailing abortion rights, while Crist said, if elected, he will immediately sign an executive order protecting reproductive rights.
Crist or Fried will face DeSantis and his almost unprecedented war chest. DeSantis has raised more than $100 million for his re-election, and some are eyeing him as the GOP nominee for president in 2024.
However, a loss to either Crist or Fried could derail DeSantis' possible pursuit of higher office.
That will be the challenge for Crist or Fried, beating a governor with record funding and one eye possibly on the top office in the land.
