Who Won Ron DeSantis vs Charlie Crist Debate in Florida? Analysts Weigh In

Charlie Crist was successful in asking key questions about whether Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will remain in office for the full four years during Monday night's televised debate.

However, it is doubtful the Democrat did enough to unseat the incumbent at next month's midterm elections, according to experts.

DeSantis and Crist faced off against each other while taking questions at the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, the only debate taking place before voters decide who to elect as the next Florida governor on November 8.

During the hour-long debate, discussions focused on the ongoing culture wars which exist in the state, as well as the Republican's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the more recent Hurricane Ian.

The governor was also questioned about his apparent ambition to run for president in 2024, with Crist suggesting that DeSantis has no intention to serve a full term if he is re-elected in the gubernatorial election.

In one part of the debate, Crist urged DeSantis to "look in the eyes of the people of the state of Florida" and confirm he would serve a full four-year term as governor.

When DeSantis is silent for a sustained period of time, Crist said: "It's not a tough question. It's a fair question; he won't tell you."

When the governor finally responded, DeSantis did not fully answer the question and attacked his Democratic rival by tying him to President Joe Biden.

"I know that Charlie's interested in talking about 2024, in Joe Biden," DeSantis said. "But I just want to make things very, very clear. The only worn out old donkey I'm looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist."

With regards to who came out on top in the debate, Sean Freeder, an assistant professor of political science at the University of North Florida, said that Crist may have failed to land the "seismic" blow which would give him a chance of winning the race.

According to FiveThirtyEight, DeSantis holds an eight-point lead over Crist in the national average of polls, with the governor having beaten the Democratic in all the most recent surveys, sometimes by a double-digit margin.

"Crist's strategy was clearly to emphasize abortion and the possibility of DeSantis abandoning the office in two years for the presidency, and DeSantis was set on painting Crist as indistinguishable from Biden," Freeder told Newsweek.

"Both candidates performed evenly enough that each group of their supporters will probably feel as if their candidates won the debate. For my part, I thought DeSantis showed more ease and confidence on stage than Crist, and these kinds of superficial impressions often inform who is perceived as the winner."

Freeder added that even if Crist was able to land the "total knockout" against DeSantis, it is unlikely it would have affected the results of next month's election either way.

"Ultimately, most voters don't watch these debates, particularly those few swing voters whose votes are still theoretically up for grabs," Freeder said.

"As such, and especially given that this debate did not produce any stunning revelations, I don't expect the debate to change the current polling numbers. Crist needed a total knockout, and while that was always highly unlikely, he didn't get one."

Joshua Scacco, associate professor and associate chair of the Department of Communication at the University of South Florida, said while DeSantis certainly had some "rocky" moments on stage Monday night, both candidates will still say they won the debate.

Scacco likened DeSantis' performances to other high-profile incumbents who previously faltered or gave underwhelming showings during debates such as George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

The debate was also a good opportunity for Crist to criticize DeSantis on a number of hot topic issues, such as abortion, as well as "gain greater attention" for his candidacy by confronting the governor about whether he would serve a full term, which the Democrat successfully grasped.

"Charlie Crist acted like he had nothing to lose, which is similar to many debate challengers. Debates benefit challengers in general because of the visual of a challenger being on the same stage or equal footing as the incumbent," Scacco told Newsweek.

"From a democracy focused perspective, debates provide accountability for the candidates. Defending and promoting their policies against critique is important for voter decision-making. Voters can benefit from the contrast."