
Democrats turn to Charlie Crist to try to slow Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ahead of 2024
CNN
To take on the herculean task of challenging Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis this fall, Florida Democrats are going with someone familiar over "something new."
For the second time in eight years, Democratic voters will elect Charlie Crist as their nominee for governor, CNN projects, choosing the seasoned veteran over Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who was vying to become the state's first female governor. Crist now has just 11 weeks to unite his party, energize the Democratic base and convince independent voters that the state needs a new direction.
The stakes for Democrats are high, and not just in Florida, where DeSantis has already pushed through an aggressively conservative agenda and has vowed a second term will bring more restrictions on abortion and fewer on guns. National Democrats are also looking for Crist to slow DeSantis, one of the Republican Party's most-recognizable figures, before an anticipated campaign for the White House in 2024.