Florida’s gubernatorial race is shaping up to be one of, if not the most, expensive in state history, but the cash flow so far has been largely one-sided.
Incumbent Governor Ron DeSantis has raised more than ten times as much as his Democratic challenger Congressman Charlie Crist.
DeSantis has had a lot of time to raise that money, while Crist just secured his party’s nomination two weeks ago.
Still, with only nine weeks before the general election, it’s likely impossible for Crist to make up all that cash deficit.
According to followthemoney.org Governor Ron DeSantis has raised a total of $172 million in his bid for reelection, while Congressman Charlie Crist has only pulled in about $15 million.
“Can he eliminate the gap? The answer is no,” said UNF political science professor Sean Freeder.
Freeder argued if Crist wants to become more competitive, he’ll have to convince top national Democratic donors the race is worth the investment.
“I think he’s going to have to shift at least a little bit away from the pure attack on DeSantis and find some way to build up his own personal brand,” said Freeder.
DeSantis’ campaign leaned into attack ads starting the day after Crist clenched the nomination, comparing Crist’s message to voters who support DeSantis’ agenda, to Hilary Clinton’s ‘basket of deplorables comment’.
“Those who support the Governor should stay with him and vote for him and I don’t want your vote,” said Crist at a St. Petersburg press conference the morning after the Primary Election.
We tried to ask Crist if he regretted that remark on Wednesday, but he walked away mid-question.
Freeder said he isn’t surprised Crist walked away.
“Probably like most things in politics, wait a week or two, hope it blows over, see what happens from there,” said Freeder.
While Freeder believes Crist may not have enough time to match DeSantis’ war chest, he emphasized that doesn’t mean the race is unwinnable, especially with recent polls showing DeSantis leading by less than five points.
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