‘Dead Heat’ in Florida: Charlie Crist’s Lead in Democrat Gubernatorial Primary Shrinks

Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL), who has been considered the frontrunner in Florida’s Democrat gubernatorial primary race, is losing his lead as Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) closes the gap, a Global Strategy Group (GSG) survey found.

The survey found just four points separating the top two Democrats, both of whom hope to challenge Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in November’s midterm election. 

Crist, who governed Florida from 2007-2011, leads the Democrat primary with 38 percent support, but Fried now follows closely behind, garnering 34 percent support. 

“Primary is essentially tied and with *only positive* bio reads, @NikkiFried jumps to +17 lead,” Kevin Cate, a consultant to Fried’s campaign, announced on Thursday:

“Though Fried is significantly less well-known than Crist, this is already a close race,” a press release from GSG reads, noting Fried is well-positioned to take over Crist’s lead despite the fact that the congressman has a 26-point familiarity advantage. 

“Fried has a clear opening as Crist doesn’t even garner 40% of the vote and 29% of voters remain undecided,” it reads. 

The survey was taken June 8-13, 2022, among 600 likely Democrat primary voters and has a +/- 4 percent margin of error. 

Both seek to challenge DeSantis, who has continued to forge his own path, ignoring left-wing critics as governor — from championing parental rights in education to vigorously battling coronavirus mandates.

Fried has continued to target the governor and is among those who touted fake news on the Parental Rights in Education bill, which bars classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity for children in kindergarten to third grade:

Crist, meanwhile, has also targeted DeSantis and told supporters last month that he would be “open” to imposing a mask mandate in Florida, if recommended by experts — a drastic shift from the leadership of DeSantis, who has instead prioritized personal choice throughout the pandemic.

Friday’s RealClearPolitics (RCP) average showed DeSantis defeating Crist by 8.8 percent and Fried by 12.8 percent.