U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, formerly a Republican governor of Florida who is now a Democrat, won the Democrat primary in Florida on Tuesday, and will face popular Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Crist beat Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried, 59.2-35.4%. Democrats in Florida say the odds are not good for Crist but were even worse for Fried.
DeSantis, a conservative champion, is the favorite to win in November and is being talked about as a possible presidential candidate for 2024.
In 2014, Crist switched parties, running for governor as a Democrat against his successor, Gov. Rick Scott, who also defeated him easily, handing Crist his third statewide loss.
In the U.S. Senate race for Florida, Democrat Congresswoman Val Demings will face off against Sen. Marco Rubio. In the House, incumbent Republican Congressman Dan Webster narrowly defeated Laura Loomer, who has aligned herself with former President Donald Trump. Loomer, who has run for House before, had endorsements from former Trump adviser Roger Stone and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.
Also in Florida, 25 of 30 school board candidates across the state who had been endorsed by DeSantis won their elections, in a major shift to the conservative column for school districts.
