Rep. Charlie Crist has won Democratic primary in Florida, and will take on Republican Governor Ron DeSantis in the midterm polls in November.<\/p>\n
Crist, House representative from Florida’s 13th congressional district, defeated the state’s agriculture commissioner Nikki Fried in the primary vote Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Crist began his political career as a Republican, serving in the Florida Senate from 1993 to 1999, and joined the Democratic Party in 2012.<\/p>\n
He was governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011.<\/p>\n
Crist’s challenge comes as DeSantis seeks a second gubernatorial term and is rumored to run for the White House in 2024. A known critic of mask and vaccine mandates, the Republican Party’s rising star is considered by partymen as a natural successor to former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
DeSantis is ahead of Crist by a few percentage points in Florida, according to opinion polls.<\/p>\n
“Tonight, the people of Florida clearly sent a message: they want a governor who cares about them and solves real problems, preserves our freedom, not a bully who divides us and takes our freedom away,” Crist said in a victory speech, referring to DeSantis.<\/p>\n
“This guy wants to be President of the United States of America. However, when we defeat him on November 8, that show is over,” Crist added. <\/p>\n
DeSantis hit back by saying, “We will never ever surrender to the woke agenda. Florida is a state where woke goes to die.”<\/p>\n
In Oklahoma, Republicans elected Trump-endorsed Rep. Markwayne Mullin in the run off to fill out the remaining term of the seat that the state’s retiring US senator vacates.<\/p>\n
In New York state, Democrat Pat Ryan, who cast his campaign as a “referendum on Roe v. Wade,” defeated Republican Marc Molinaro in a special election for an open House seat. <\/p>\n