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(Trends Wide) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democratic challenger Charlie Crist went head-to-head over abortion, the response to Hurricane Ian, ongoing statewide culture wars and the future political ambitions of rising Republicans in a debate an hour that produced a handful of remarkable moments that could still give Democrats in the state a chance.
Trailing in the polls and nearly out of campaign funds, Crist entered the Sunrise Theater in Fort Pierce, Fla., with next to nothing to lose and repeatedly put DeSantis on the defensive about the divisive agenda that has catapulted the Republican to stardom within his party. . Crist’s goal Monday was two-fold: to build momentum for the final weeks of the Florida race and to damage the national reputation of DeSantis, who is also weighing a possible presidential primary campaign against former President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election as governor.
In the face of Crist’s volleys, DeSantis largely stayed the course, visibly gritting his teeth at times or faking a smile, as he stuck to his topics and delivered a series of well-timed one-liners. DeSantis seemed less comfortable on the debate stage than he did in his handcrafted news conferences staged to showcase his trademark combative style. It was a conventional performance from a favorite, and with a comfortable lead and nearly $100 million left in the bank, DeSantis certainly is, albeit one who has risen up the GOP’s presidential power rankings in defiance of conventional wisdom.
Here are five takeaways from Monday’s first and only debate of Florida’s gubernatorial race.
DeSantis will not commit to a full four-year term
Crist entered the debate looking for a race-changing moment that could galvanize not just Florida Democrats but people across the country seeking to stem DeSantis’s national rise.
With DeSantis and Crist often on opposite sides of a split screen and with a raucous crowd cheering a debate moderator’s objections, the night produced plenty of opportunities for Crist to do just that.
In one such moment, Crist tried to get DeSantis to commit to serving a full four-year term if he wins in November.
DeSantis, considering running for president in 2024, didn’t take the bait.
The exchange began with DeSantis comparing Crist’s policies to those of President Joe Biden. Crist responded by suggesting that DeSantis targeted Biden because he wants to face the president in 2024.
“I have a question for you. He is running for governor. Why don’t you look the people of the state of Florida in the eye and tell them that if you’re re-elected, you’ll serve a full four-year term as governor?” Crist said. “Yes or no?”.
DeSantis stared into the camera and didn’t respond, producing a long silence.
Crist then chimed in: “It’s not a difficult question. It’s a fair question. He won’t tell you.
The debate moderator, WPEC host Liz Quirantes, informed the audience that the candidates did not agree to ask each other questions directly on stage.
When Crist’s time expired, DeSantis finally responded.
“I know Charlie is interested in talking about 2024, about Joe Biden,” DeSantis said. “But I just want to make things very, very clear. The only worn out old donkey I want to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist.”
DeSantis dodges abortion question
After the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade in late June, DeSantis said in a statement that he would take action to “protect life” in Florida, but in the months since he has refused to say what he means by that. When Quirantes asked DeSantis what week abortion access should be cut off in Florida, the governor said he was “proud” of the state’s 15-week ban he signed into law earlier this year, but did not say whether he would support the legislation to promote restrict access in the state.
“I think we’re better when everyone counts,” DeSantis said. “I understand that not everyone is going to be born under perfect circumstances, but I would like to see everyone have a chance.”
Crist criticized the response for failing to answer the question, calling the state’s new 15-week ban “insensitive” and barbaric.” The law includes exemptions for a fatal fetal anomaly if two doctors confirm the diagnosis in writing or when a pregnancy is a “serious risk” to the mother. It does not allow exemptions for rape, incest, or human trafficking.
“We recently learned of a case of a high school girl near Jacksonville, who was a victim of incest, became pregnant because of the bill you signed, Governor,” Crist said. “She had to go from two to three states to fix this problem.”
DeSantis accused Crist of supporting abortion rights solely for political expediency. He noted that when Crist was a Republican, he often considered himself on the other side of the abortion debate. Crist, a former Republican governor who left his party in 2010, once characterized himself as “pro-life.”
“The question is, is this an honest change of heart? Or is he a guy who’s going to switch with whatever he needs to to try to keep his political career alive?” DeSantis said. “I think we all know the answer to that question.”
DeSantis defends his most controversial actions
Though coy on abortion, DeSantis willingly defended his other actions that have drawn frequent criticism and lawsuits from Democrats, immigrant groups, LGBTQ groups and their allies, but have also drawn broad appeal to the Florida-based GOP and beyond.
On new state rules preventing certain transgender health care for minors, DeSantis compared “gender-affirming care” to “chemically castrating young children,” adding, “A lot of kids go through a lot of different things. Much of the dysphoria resolves on its own by the time they become adults.”
Of the flights he orchestrated to move migrants from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, he said: “It’s sad that it’s come to this, but what we did was put this issue front and center.”
On banning critical race theory from the classroom, DeSantis said, “I don’t want to teach kids to hate our country. I don’t want to teach kids to hate each other and the way to stop race discrimination is to stop race discrimination.”
In a comment that seemed aimed at much of DeSantis’ defense on these issues, Crist said, “He talks about it like it’s funny. He is not. These are difficult issues and deserve mature leadership.”
the hurricane test
Crist and Biden have been in lockstep with the president’s agenda for much of their overlapping two years in Washington. But Crist made it clear Monday that he disagrees with Biden’s assessment of DeSantis’ storm management.
In a joint appearance earlier this month in Fort Myers Beach, where Hurricane Ian destroyed most of the waterfront property, Biden told reporters that DeSantis’ response to the devastation was “pretty remarkable.” However, Crist accused DeSantis of leaving people in harm’s way.
Crist noted that DeSantis attended a high school football game the Friday before the cyclone made landfall and said he was “AWOL for nearly 24 hours” when the decision to evacuate Lee County could have been made.
“And as a result, 100 people lose their lives?” Crist said. “That is not a good record. And that’s not good leadership.”
DeSantis said Crist was trying to “politicize” the response.
“Our message was to listen to your local (authorities), ultimately it’s a local decision,” DeSantis said. “I support each of our local counties. They stood up, worked hard, and made the best decisions with the information they had.”
Pandemonium pandemic
DeSantis became a political force through his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remains a frequent focal point of speeches he makes in Florida and beyond.
If Crist had been governor at the time, DeSantis said, “it would have put millions of Floridians in crisis.”
“And I can tell you that while Charlie Crist and his friends in Congress were asking them to lock down, I stood them up,” DeSantis said. “I protected their rights. I made sure they could make a living. I made sure they could operate their businesses and worked like crazy to make sure all of our kids were in school in person five days a week.”
Crist attempted to challenge DeSantis’s perceived strength head-on.
“We have one of the highest mortality rates in the United States, Ron, and more than 6 million of our fellow Floridians have contracted Covid under your leadership,” he said. “That’s not something to brag about and be proud of.”
Crist also brought dizzying logic to the debate when he called DeSantis “the only governor in Florida history” to close schools and businesses, a nod to the period early in the 2020 pandemic when the Sunshine State, like most of the country, , followed pandemic mitigation measures encouraged by the Trump administration. Crist went on to say, “It’s important to listen to the science, do the right thing, use common sense. You don’t confine yourself from the beginning.”
But those mitigation strategies, including social distancing and halting business activity, were recommended by scientists at the time. And Crist was one of 13 Florida Democrats in Congress who in a letter urged DeSantis to issue a stay-at-home order in March 2020, weeks into the pandemic.
DeSantis said he reopened schools against the objections of teachers’ unions, key Crist allies.
“We just got the report card for the nation, the results from all 50 states,” DeSantis said. “Florida: Number three in fourth grade reading and number four in the country in fourth grade math. … That wouldn’t have happened if we had let Charlie Crist and his friends keep our kids out of school like they did in California and like they did in New York. We did well in Florida.”
