Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will face off against Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) in their first and only debate Monday, October 24 — roughly two weeks ahead of Election Day.
The debate, which was delayed due to Hurricane Ian slamming into the state weeks ago, will occur Monday evening at 7 p.m. Eastern. The incumbent governor and his challenger will face off at the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce.
Crist, a strong Biden ally who was “so damn proud” of President Biden after the commander-in-chief demonized MAGA Republicans, said on Monday that he is prepared to hold DeSantis “accountable” on the debate stage:
Good morning, Florida!
Who’s ready to watch me hold Ron DeSantis accountable on the debate stage tonight?
— Charlie Crist (@CharlieCrist) October 24, 2022
Meanwhile, the DeSantis campaign is anxiously awaiting to see if Crist continues his pattern of dodging questions.
Charlie Crist doesn't answer questions… he dodges them. Let's see if he does that during the debate tonight.
Tune in at 7pm – we will be live tweeting!
Local TV stations: https://t.co/Mri82k1FdJ pic.twitter.com/9Lj2LKGEy6
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 #FloridaStrong (@DeSantisWarRoom) October 24, 2022
Crist, who has also made it clear that he views securing a woman’s “right” to murder her unborn child as a Day One issue, has also been attacking DeSantis’s response to Hurricane Ian, despite the rapid recovery the state has experienced, with tens of thousands of linemen quickly restoring power across the state and engineers working around the clock to repair bridges, restoring access for countless of residents in the southwest portion of the state:
DeSantis, however, has made it clear that this election is about preserving freedom in Florida.
“Our state is worth fighting for, and I am calling on all Floridians to put on the full armor of God as we will fight tooth and nail to protect Florida from the destructive agenda of Joe Biden and his number one ally in Florida, Charlie Crist,” DeSantis said in August.
In this 2014 file photo, then Vice President Joe Biden stands with former Florida Governor Charlie Crist during a campaign event. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
On Sunday, the eve before the debate, DeSantis announced that the Sunshine State is continuing to outpace the nation in terms of economic growth. This is significant, as the economy ranks as a major issue of concern for countless Americans as they head to the polls in two weeks.
Florida’s economy continues to outperform the nation.
We are #FloridaStrong pic.twitter.com/U2jSda04lx
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 23, 2022
Recent surveys show DeSantis leading the Democrat by double digits. Monday’s RealClearPolitics average of polls found DeSantis leading Crist by an average of ten percentage points.
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