Florida GOP: Primary Election and Mar-a-Lago Raid Fallout

Jacksonville, Fla. — The headline from Florida’s election is that Charlie Crist, who seemed to be dead in the water only a month ago, surged to an impressive victory in the gubernatorial primary and now poses a credible threat to Ron DeSantis. In mid August polling, Crist had closed to within six to eight points of “America’s governor,” though DeSantis remains the front-runner. With a bump from his win yesterday over an aggressive and well-financed opponent, Crist could begin the general-election campaign within the margin of error. Crist will run in 2022 as a Florida version of Biden 2020 — as the calm and decent and normal choice.

What happened? What bent the race out of shape? What happened was a raid in south Florida. Across the country, it was a big story. Here in Florida, it was a seismic event.

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Neal B. Freeman

Neal B. Freeman, businessman and journalist, was a director of National Review Inc. for 38 years.

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Jacksonville, Fla. — The headline from Florida’s election is that Charlie Crist, who seemed to be dead in the water only a month ago, surged to an impressive victory in the gubernatorial primary and now poses a credible threat to Ron DeSantis. In mid August polling, Crist had closed to within six to eight points of “America’s governor,” though DeSantis remains the front-runner. With a bump from his win yesterday over an aggressive and well-financed opponent, Crist could begin the general-election campaign within the margin of error. Crist will run in 2022 as a Florida version of Biden 2020 — as the calm and decent and normal choice.

What happened? What bent the race out of shape? What happened was a raid in south Florida. Across the country, it was a big story. Here in Florida, it was a seismic event.