Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist puts the spotlight on North Florida – Action News Jax

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist was in Duval County Wednesday visiting small companies in the Normandy space.

Crist mentioned North Florida is a crucial a part of the state for his marketing campaign.

“I’m always glad to be in Jacksonville and look forward to a little seafood and soul food and visiting with local folks and finding out what’s on their mind,” mentioned Crist.

Crist himself has acknowledged an absence of focus on Northeast Florida contributed to his loss to former Gov. Rick Scott in the 2014 election.

Scott bested Crist by about 34,000 votes in Duval County throughout that race.

Statewide Crist got here up 64,000 votes brief.

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The voting tendencies in Duval have shifted fairly a bit since Crist misplaced the county in his 2014 bid for Governor.

Former President Donald Trump eked out a 6,000-vote lead in Duval in 2016, however in 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum pulled a 17,000-vote benefit and President Joe Biden received the county by practically 20,000 votes in 2020.

University of North Florida political science professor Sean Freeder argued successful Duval is a should for Crist, however not going the finish all, be all for an general victory.

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“It’s not just about winning those counties with big urban areas. It’s getting a high enough turnout and getting a high enough percentage in those areas to make the difference as well,” mentioned Freeder.

Currently, Democrats and Republicans have forged nearly the similar variety of votes in Duval.

Freeder mentioned he anticipates Democrats will finally take a bigger lead, but when not, low voter turnout for Democrats in the county may forecast voter enthusiasm statewide.

“That would mean he’s under performing in Duval. Crist would probably be underperforming everywhere else. That would be a pretty bad outcome for the Crist campaign. It would be very difficult to imagine how he could win if Duval goes to DeSantis,” mentioned Freeder.

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Crist will face off in opposition to Governor Ron DeSantis subsequent Monday at 7 PM in the one-and-only debate forward of the November eighth General Election.

In a press release the DeSantis marketing campaign additionally weighed in on the significance of the Northeast Florida vote.

“Governor DeSantis works day in and day out to protect parental rights, keep our communities safe, protect our environment, and fight back against Biden’s inflationary policies. The Governor will always fight for our state, and we look forward to sharing his Freedom Agenda on a statewide stage for Northeast Florida and the rest of the state,” mentioned Lindsey Curnutte, a spokesperson with DeSantis’ marketing campaign.

Crist will face off in opposition to Gov. Ron DeSantis subsequent Monday at 7 PM in the one-and-only debate forward of the November eighth General Election.

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