‘Hate in Your Heart’: Charlie Crist Says He Doesn’t Want DeSantis Supporters’ Votes

Charlie Crist, the Democratic nominee for Florida governor, said Wednesday that he doesn’t want supporters of Governor Ron DeSantis to vote for him in November.

“Those who support the governor should stay with him,” he said during a press conference on Wednesday. “I don’t want your vote. If you have that hate in your heart, keep it there.”

During an appearance on MSNBC he made similar comments about DeSantis being hateful: “I’m going to beat [DeSantis] because I’m running on love, and love always wins. If he wants to run on hate, culture wars, dividing people, and making people hate each other, that’s his turf. It’s not mine. I’m on different turf, and it’s what Floridians deserve.”

Crist faces long odds against DeSantis in November: FiveThirtyEight gives DeSantis a 92 percent chance of winning reelection in a state that has increasingly shifted to the right in recent years. Florida Republicans saw a voter-registration advantage over Republicans for the first time in the state’s history in December 2021. By March 2022, Republicans notched a 100,000 voter registration advantage.

DeSantis also has a massive $140 million reelection fund at his disposal.

Crist’s comments come one day after he defeated Nikki Fried in the Democratic primary for the chance to take on DeSantis in the upcoming general election.

Crist, who is the former governor of Florida and is currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, easily sailed to victory with the support of several Democratic interest groups, including pro-abortion organization Emily’s List, the state teachers’ unions, the state AFL-CIO, and the state’s largest gay-rights group. He garnered 59.7 percent of the vote to Fried’s 35.3 percent with more than 95 percent of the expected vote counted.

Crist started his political career as a Republican in the Florida senate in the late ‘90s before switching parties in 2012 and was considered the moderate option compared to the more progressive Fried.

Crist claimed on Wednesday that the November election is “Democrats’ last chance to stop” DeSantis before he runs for president. DeSantis, a rising star in the GOP, is seen as a likely contender for the presidency in 2024, though he has not confirmed that he plans to run.

“And it’s going to be a lot cheaper to do it in Florida than it would be to do it in 50 states,” Crist said. “So let’s do it now.”

More from National Review

• DeSantis Says a Stacey Abrams Win in Georgia Could Cause ‘Cold War’ with Florida

• Democratic Governors Association May Not Invest in Challenging DeSantis in 2022

• House GOP Reelection Arm Breaks Monthly Fundraising Record