Miami, Fla. – Congressman Charlie Crist punched his ticket Tuesday to face Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in November, giving the Democratic Party its best shot to oust the polarizing chief state executive.

With 85 percent of precincts reporting, Crist trounced his chief rival Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, capturing 62 percent of the vote to her 35 in the Democratic gubernatorial primary contest and setting up the showdown with DeSantis.

Over the weekend the two front-runners in the Democratic primary made campaign stops in South Florida, visiting early voting sites. Crist watched Miami-Dade County Mayor Danielle Levin Cava, who endorsed him, cast her vote in Palmetto Bay.

 

During early voting, Fried’s campaign suffered a blow when the Progressive Club of the Islands rescinded its support and endorsed Crist after the Palm Beach Post published an investigative report on sugar cane burning during Fried’s term as agriculture commissioner.

Trailing Crist in the polls, Fried tried to close the gap by reaching out to female voters during a five county swing in Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Tampa and South Florida a week before the primary.

She said a post-Dobbs reproductive health climate is a sexist double standard in how the media endorsements suggest a male governor is the best choice for the job and gives DeSantis his toughest challenge.

News media also reported her friendship with Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is under investigation for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a girl in exchange for money in violation of federal sex trafficking laws, which Gaetz denied.

“That’s why it’s also important that a woman gets elected governor, to break that glass ceiling, Fried said during a campaign rally in Tallahassee. “Because of the sexism that we feel on an everyday basis, asking if I’m qualified, asking if I’m electable.”

But voters chose otherwise.

Crist had a massive lead in campaign funds over Fried, raising over $17.5 million to Fried’s $3.6 million, and had a double-digit lead in the polls.

Besides Cava, Crist received endorsements from other local elected officials including State Sen. Shervin Jones, among DeSantis’ most vocal critics, Florida Conservation Voters, one of the most powerful environmental groups in the state, Florida Immigrant Coalition, labor unions and liberal philanthropists.

Thank you,” Crist said during his victory speech before his supporters. “What a night! Tonight, the people of Florida clearly sent a message. They want a governor who cares about them, to solve real problems and to preserve our freedom. Not a bully who divides us and takes our freedom away.”

Fried was gracious in defeat and said this is a time for Democrats to come together in an effort to unseat DeSantis.

“We have to be united like we have never been united before,” she said before supporters during a concession speech in Fort Lauderdale. “I will campaign up and down the ballot to make sure Democrats are elected. We are going to make Ron DeSantis a one-term governor.”

Crist’s victory was also a defeat for the groups with ties to Florida Power & Light, major sugar farmers and dark money committees that endorsed Fried. Crist often clashed with the groups as a congressman.

DeSantis so far has raised over $100 million for his 2022 reelection bid and reportedly has his sights on the U.S. presidency in 2024.

Other races were decided in local primaries including the U.S. Senate, Congress, State Senate, Broward County Commission and an upset in the state House of Representatives.

For U.S. Senate, Democratic Orlando Congresswoman Val Demings cruised to victory in the primary to face Republican Sen. Marco Rubio in November. Demings, a former Orlando police

chief, defeated fellow Democrats Ricardo de la Fuente, Brian Rush and William Sanchez, capturing 85.26 percent of the votes.

For U.S. Congress, U.S. Rep Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick defeated her biggest challenger, former Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness, in a Democratic primary rematch.

In their first contest in last year, Holness lost by just five votes. This year, it wasn’t close.

In this year’s race, the two candidates’ attacks on each other escalated into a lawsuit filed by the congresswoman against Holness, alleging slanderous remarks his campaign made via text messages.

McCormick is seeking $1 million in damages. McCormick told her supporters that there’s decency in democracy. “I get emotional when I think about this district,” she said. “There’s no higher honor to fight for our democracy than in Congress.”

Holness said he called to congratulate his opponent but said the race was decided by money. “Eight million spent on the other side,” he told reporters. “How do you overcome that?”

McCormick now faces Republican Drew Clark in November to try to hold on to her seat which covers parts of Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

In the Senate District 35 race, state Sen. Lauren Book, the minority leader, defeated former Broward County Mayor Dr. Barbara Sharief with 60 percent of the vote for the newly drawn district to win another term in political office.

The race between the two candidates started off amiable but a month before the primary, the gloves came off.

Sharief accused Book’s campaign of running defamatory ads claiming Sharief, who’s president and CEO of a healthcare company, betrayed Medicaid and settled a case with The State Agency for Health Care Administration after overbilling accusations.

Sharief, who was Book’s first challenger since she took office in 2016, filed a lawsuit seeking $1 million in damages.

Another TV ad blamed Sharief for a lot of 911 calls in Broward County that went unanswered when she was the mayor at the time.

Sharief gave up her seat on the Broward County Commission last year to run for Congress.

In May, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony told county commissioners that more 911 operators are leaving for better paying jobs, leaving the emergency call center thin.

The meeting was called after a South Florida Sun-Sentinel investigation divulged the understaffing issue which documented thousands of unanswered 911 calls, in which one of the most severe cases was a family whose baby was turning blue and later died after the father transported the child to the hospital himself.

Sharief’s campaign accused Book of spending taxpayer’s money for her organization called Laura’s Kids, which helps victims of sexual abuse.

Book, who said she was a victim when she was a kid, was showered with $4 million in taxpayer dollars from the House and Senate this year, and a total of $19 million in state grants since 2011.

The ad says Book collects an annual salary of $220,000 plus an incentive bonus of $15,000 to run the program.

Book raised about $653,599 to Sharief’s $39,805.

But through it all, Book, endorsed by firefighter and police unions across the state of Florida, prevailed.

“There’s nothing to make me more proud than serving the community,” Book said to her supporters. “Tonight, belongs to each and every one of you.”

Sharief said she doesn’t consider the race a loss but a victory for Democracy.

“We gave it all we could give,” she said to her supporters. “Tonight was about voting, and by not voting, elections are the consequences of that.”

For the State House of Representatives, political novice and attorney Ashely Gantt upset incumbent State Rep. James Bush III for District 109 in a race that turned ugly when State Sen. Jason Pizzo called Bush DeSantis’ “little b—-” on social media.

With most of the precincts reporting, Gantt had captured 51.6 of the votes to Bush’s 48 percent.

Pizzo, who ran unopposed this year, contributed over $550,000 of his campaign contributions to support Democrats facing election.

He supported Gantt after Bush, 67, was the only Democrat to vote for DeSantis Don’t Say Gay Bill and changing the congressional map to benefit Republicans.

Bush, who served in state government since 1992, trailed his opponent in fundraising, $136, 086 to $73,150, and Gantt was endorsed by Congresswoman Fredrica Wilson, once an ally of Bush, as well as former state Sen. Dwight Bullard and former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson.

Gantt was also endorsed by a large group of lawyers, real estate developers and teachers.

District 109 covers Brownsville, portions of the City of Miami, North Miami and Opa-locka.

For the Broward County Commission, Lauderhill Mayor Hazelle Rogers defeated Guithele Ruiz-Nicolas, the former president of the Haitian American Democratic Club of Broward County. Rogers captured 71 percent of the vote to RuizNicolas’ 29.

Rogers, who has been the mayor of Lauderdale Lakes for five years and a city commissioner since 1996 with the exception of a stint in the state Legislature from 2008 to 2016, replaces Torey Alston, who decided not to run for the seat after DeSantis appointed him to the commission to replace Holness.

The seat covers portions of Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, Oakland Park, Plantation and Sunrise.

Rogers decisively outraised and outspent the newcomer to politics, raising about $100,000 more than Ruiz-Nicholas and spending $114,689 to her competitor’s $27,506.

Rogers drew support from Broward County Commissioner Steve Geller, Cory Shearer the former president of the Broward County Democratic Black Caucus, and the Service Employees International Union.

But the Sun-Sentinel endorsed RuizNicolas, saying Rogers “has not earned the public trust.” Broward Young Democrats and the Dolphin Democrats, an LGBTQ political club, also endorsed Ruiz-Nicolas.

According to Red Broward, Rogers has been sending campaign money to a newly formed company registered in Delaware, Purple Bird Communications. It has the same address as her campaign, a Fort Lauderdale post office box.

Delaware law allows companies to register without disclosing officers or directors.

Campaign records show that the biggest expense she made in June was to Purple Bird Communications: $22,150 for “canvassing and designing.” But then, an amended report, which came after Red Broward’s first report, shows the expense was refunded. The same thing happened for an earlier report: A $3,000 payment was made for “design marketing materials,” an amended report shows the expense refunded.

Rogers was grilled at a Sun-Sentinel endorsement interview about it, and the board found Rogers’ denial of any knowledge of the company a “woefully inadequate response.”

Broward County Commissioner Beam Furr held on to his District 6 seat with a victory over consultant Jeffrey J.J. Jones, 69.9 percent of the votes to 39 percent to win another four-year term in office to represent areas of Hollywood, Hallandale Beach and Pembroke Pines.

Robert McKinzie, a former Fort Lauderdale city commissioner, defeated former state Rep. Bobby DuBose, 46 percent to 39 percent for District 8 which covers parts of Coconut Creek, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Margate, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Wilton Manors and parts of unincorporated Broward County.

McKinzie replaced Jared Moskowitz who won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Congress.

For Miami-Dade County Commission, North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime and social worker and community activist Marleine Bastien are also headed for a Nov. 8 runoff for District 2.

Bien-Aime captured 26.5 percent of the vote and Bastien took 23.7 percent.

The two are seeking to replace County Commissioner Jean Monestime who is forced to leave office due to term limits.

District 2 includes portions of Miami, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Opalocka, Hialeah and the unincorporated neighborhoods of Liberty City, North Dade Central and Biscayne Gardens. Among other candidates in the race, William D.C. Clark took 20.8 percent and high school principal Wallace Aristide captured 18.4 percent, former North Miami Mayor Joe Celestine received 6.5 percent and entrepreneur Monique Barley-Mayo got 4 percent.

For Senate District 34, with 68 percent of the vote, State Sen. Shervin Jones defeated former Miami Gardens City Councilman Erhabor Ighodaro and political newcomer Pitchie Escarment, a former corrections officer and owner of a consulting firm.