Who Is Charlie Crist? Democrat Hoping to Oust Ron DeSantis in November

Democratic Representative Charlie Crist of Florida won his party's nomination for governor Tuesday night, edging out state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in a grueling primary campaign to represent his party in November's election.

Now the real battle begins. In less than 11 weeks, Crist, a former Florida governor, will face GOP Governor Ron DeSantis in a state that has seen some of the country's most closely contested statewide campaigns in recent decades.

The race will likely be a referendum on the Republican Party's momentum in a midterm elections season defined by critical differences between the two parties on issues like inflation and abortion access as well as social policies regarding education, race and LGBTQ rights, among other matters.

In his first term, DeSantis, a former member of Congress who narrowly won his seat against Democrat Andrew Gillum in 2018, has become a prominent figure in the modern conservative movement, for his administration's conservative social policies as well as his combative relationship with the news media during his four years in office.

DeSantis is often mentioned, along with former President Donald Trump, as a prospective nominee for the White House in 2024. And in recent months his endorsement has been sought by Republican candidates as he has campaigned for conservative politicians in battleground states around the country.

Republicans have an inherent advantage in the Sunshine State. Despite its historically competitive political nature, Florida has not elected a Democratic governor since 1994. Crist, who served as governor for four years before a failed independent run for the Senate in 2010, lost to GOP Governor Rick Scott by a single point in 2014 after switching to the Democratic Party.

And unlike some Republicans in other, traditionally close states, DeSantis has seen his stock stay positive as issues like abortion have come to dominate the national conversation.

Despite his signature on several controversial pieces of legislation—such as restrictions on LGBTQ- and race-based curricula in schools, as well as a 15-week ban on abortion—DeSantis had a 53 percent approval rating entering the summer, according to Morning Consult polling.

Meanwhile, analysts at The Cook Political Report and FiveThirtyEight have given the GOP a slight advantage to retain the governor's seat in November, with the latter projecting DeSantis to win by a near-double-digit margin.

Polling within the Sunshine State has favored DeSantis as well. Although Democrat Gillum—considered a slight favorite to win in 2018—came within a half-point of victory before a scandal toppled his political career, recent University of North Florida polling gave DeSantis a 7-point advantage over Fried, while Crist was down 8 points against the governor. And while national polling and voter registration data have shown an energized Democratic base before the midterms, Republicans are enthusiastic as well, setting the stage for a hotly contested election season this fall.

Money is likely to play a significant factor. The DeSantis campaign has a war chest of nearly $18 million to spend in defense of his seat, while Florida campaign finance reports show Crist with campaign accounts in the low six figures, leaving him with significant ground to make up in the coming weeks. However, recent polling by two progressive Florida organizations indicated that the race could be much closer than anticipated, with any potential Democratic candidate polling just 5 points behind DeSantis in a head-to-head matchup.

But Crist, who is based in St. Petersburg, has arguably been running against DeSantis for months, running ads heavily focused not on his primary opponent but on the governor and how he would better oppose his agenda.

Crist, who has been in politics since his election to the state Senate in 1992, has run on his prior experience in the governor's office as a former Republican turned Democrat. He cites his willingness to work with President Barack Obama and his controversial decision to veto an abortion ban while in office.

Election Day is November 8.