Florida is holding a number of primaries on Tuesday. Polls in many of the state closed at 7 p.m. ET and the final polls closed at 8 p.m. ET.
The race and the stakes:
Rep. Charlie Crist, a former Republican and Florida governor whose district contains St. Petersburg, resoundingly defeated Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried for the Democratic nomination to face Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
DeSantis has acquired a ton of nationwide consideration given the hypothesis that he’ll run for the Republican nomination for president in 2024. Many assume he presents the best menace to a different reelection marketing campaign from former President Donald Trump.
However DeSantis first faces a bid to win 4 extra years within the governor’s mansion in November.
Democrats do not seem like holding out a lot hope that they will topple DeSantis, who rose to nationwide identify recognition as a congressman defending Trump’s controversial presidency after which as governor after waging frequent battles towards the Biden administration’s COVID-19 insurance policies.
They’ve as an alternative put extra funding and power into the US Senate race, the place Republican Sen. Marco Rubio is up for reelection for a 3rd time period.
Rubio — a bilingual Cuban American who ran for president in 2016 — has been touting a file of accomplishments within the higher chamber.
His Democratic challenger is Rep. Val Demings, a former police chief from Orlando who served as one of many Home managers throughout Trump’s first Senate impeachment trial in early 2020 and has raised almost $49 million for her marketing campaign. She defeated Brian Rush, a former Florida Home member; progressive William Sanchez, an immigration lawyer; and Richardo De La Fuente, who beforehand ran for the US Home.
One ballot from the College of North Florida’s Public Opinion Analysis Lab discovered Demings forward towards Rubio, at 48% to 44%.
And 25-year-old gun violence prevention activist Maxwell Frost gained the crowded Democratic major for Demings’ safely-Democratic Orlando-based congressional seat, placing him on observe to be the primary member of Congress from Technology Z.
Whereas Florida tends to be shut each election, the prospects for Democrats are typically thought of dim shifting ahead. Florida Republicans have out-registered Democrats within the state by 220,000 individuals.
One major race within the US Home being intently watched on the Republican aspect is for Florida’s 1st congressional district. At the moment holding the seat is GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, a MAGA trustworthy who’s reportedly beneath investigation by the Justice Division for having intercourse with a 17-year-old and paying for her to journey with him. Gaetz has not been charged with a criminal offense and has denied wrongdoing.
Gaetz’s lead Republican challenger is Mark Lombardo, a former FedEx govt and Marine Corps veteran.
Florida is a “closed” major state — that means that residents need to be affiliated with a particular get together to have the ability to vote for candidates inside that get together.
State legislative primaries
