CHARLIE CRIST

On Aug. 23 Democrats will decide who will take on incumbent governor Ron DeSantis in the November general election.

Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidates called out Gov. Ron DeSantis for comments he made after an unprecedented FBI raid Monday at the Palm Beach home of...

The abortion provider's PAC is sitting out the Democratic primary

Rep. Charlie Crist has hit rival Nikki Fried with a blistering new mailer that calls her a “Republican lobbyist for big tobacco and insurance companies” and notes her previous friendship with Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Crist got $964,646 and Fried got $634,092.

A Holocaust center in Florida and others condemned the presence of protesters holding Nazi flags and posters with antisemitic imagery outside a convention of young conservative activists that drew as speakers President Donald Trump, Florida Gov, Ron DeSantis and several Republican U.S. senators.

Election 2022 Florida Governors Race FILE - Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried speaks during an interview, Thursday, April 21, 2022, at the Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami. Florida's Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, are set to hold their first and only debate before the August primary election. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) (Wilfredo Lee)ORLANDO, Fla. — With one month left until Florida’s primary election, Democratic candidate for governor, Nikki Fried, is planning a six-figure broadcast ad buy. According to tracking group Ad Impact, Fried will spend at least $624,220 on the ad buy, which will start on Aug. 15, one week before the primary. Fried, who is currently Florida’s commissioner of agriculture, will face fellow Democrat, Rep. Charlie Crist, in the Aug. 23 Democratic primary.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist held their only debate Thursday before next month’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, bashing Gov. The candidates fielded questions on abortion, gun legislation, immigration and other topics that dominated this year’s contentious legislative session. “Unfortunately so many of these policy initiatives that he is fighting on today was Charlie’s when he was a Republican,” said Fried, drawing a line between the policies of DeSantis and Crist. WATCH: Florida 15-week abortion ban remains in place after State appeals judge’s injunction“This is the real problem, Nikki, we’re in a Democratic primary and both of us want to unseat Governor DeSantis. READ: Andrew Gillum, former Florida gubernatorial candidate, indicted on federal fraud chargesThe winner of the August primary will advance to face DeSantis in November.

Election 2022 Florida Governors Race FILE - Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried speaks during an interview, Thursday, April 21, 2022, at the Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami. Florida's Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, are set to hold their first and only debate before the August primary election. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) (Wilfredo Lee)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — (AP) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist held their only debate Thursday before next month's Democratic gubernatorial primary, bashing Gov. Crist, a St. Petersburg congressman and former GOP governor, and Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, faced off in a broadcast debate taped earlier in South Florida. “This is the real problem, Nikki, we're in a Democratic primary and both of us want to unseat Governor DeSantis.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist have held their first and only debate before the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

With about two months before Florida’s primary, the most exciting event to watch outside the Democratic nomination for governor is the mad scramble to fill congressional seats.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist raised more than $1 million in May for his political committee and campaign as he widened his fundraising lead over...

Taddeo will instead challenge Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Republican who represents the 27th U.S. House district in Florida, which encompasses part of Miami.

The field is dense with competitors looking to remove Gov. Ron DeSantis from his perch in the Western Florida woods. So, a little beacon from...

The field is dense with competitors looking to remove Gov. Ron DeSantis from his perch in the Western Florida woods. So, a little beacon from...

Gov. Ron DeSantis has uttered not a peep about the Uvalde massacre beyond ordering flags at state and local facilities flown at half staff.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is pushing for a televised debate among Democratic candidates.

With less than four months until the primary election, Congressman Charlie Crist is stressing a need for party unity among the Democratic gubernatorial candidates, who...

Rep. Charlie Crist criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis for stripping Disney's self-governing status, saying DeSantis wants to have "one-man rule" of Florida.

Rep. Charlie Crist criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis for stripping Disney's self-governing status, saying DeSantis wants to have "one-man rule" of Florida.

Sarah Palin says she’s serious about her campaign for the U.S. House, telling The Associated Press that her unique place in American politics would put her in a stronger position representing Alaska in Washington.

Median rent prices jumped from $1,340 in February 2020 to just over $1,760 in February 2022, a 31.4 percent increase over two years.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis is in Kissimmee, where he is expected to sign Florida’s abortion ban bill into law. In March, the Florida Senate passed House Bill 5, which prohibits abortion after 15 weeks. Sponsors of the bill said they chose the 15-week threshold because it’s the same time frame as an abortion ban passed by the state of Mississippi. Read: Florida Senate passes 15-week abortion banReaction to the bill signing from opponents was swift. Read: Florida House passes bill to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancyThe law will go into effect on July 1.

A long line of golf carts streams out of Colony Cottage Regional Recreation Complex, several with signs supporting U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist (FL-13) for governor.

A single lot of Great Value Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix was recalled Saturday by Continental Mills due to a potential for foreign material contamination, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

A crash and ensuing car fire on I-4 in Seminole County Sunday afternoon temporarily forced the closure of all eastbound lanes at MM 101BC (State Road 46 / State Road 417), according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

A man was found shot early Sunday morning in the Carver Shores neighborhood, according to the Orlando Police Department.

Two people were shot early Sunday morning at an Orlando-area event center, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who served as Florida’s Republican governor from 2007-11, has emerged as the frontrunner in the Democratic primary based on recent polls and campaign dollars raised.

The bill has sparked a spat between Florida’s tourism giant and Gov. Ron DeSantis, who accused the company of being friendly with communist China. Chapek said the bill was a challenge to human rights and apologized for not acting sooner. The Disney World theme park is a multi-billion dollar economic driver for the state. Democratic U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, whose district includes parts of Disney, also questioned the governor’s attack on Disney.

Readers share their views on investing in infrastructure; deterring school fights; parental rights in education; and

Harry T. Moore and his wife Harriet, were activists at the forefront of the civil rights movement who helped more than 116,000 African Americans register to vote in Central Florida.

Campaign stops in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and the unwelcome return of Rod Blagojevich.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has submitted a proposal to reshape the state’s congressional map and carve up districts held by Black Democrats, as the Republican takes the unusual step of inserting himself into the redistricting process.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has submitted a proposal to reshape the state's congressional map and carve up districts held by Black Democrats, as the Republican takes the unusual step of inserting himself into the redistricting process. The proposed congressional map, submitted Sunday on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, signaled the governor's priorities as the state moves to redraw political maps in the coming months. DeSantis, who is running for reelection and is considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has largely shaped the legislative agenda in the Republican-controlled statehouse this year.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made clear in his State of the State speech that he likes teachers, first responders and freedom and he doesn’t like Dr. Anthony Fauci, critical race theory, abortion, illegal immigration and Burmese pythons.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made clear in his State of the State speech that he likes teachers, first responders and freedom and he doesn’t like Dr. Anthony Fauci, critical race theory, abortion, illegal immigration and Burmese pythons.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced a budget proposal on Thursday that includes plans to establish a militia that would answer solely to him. Unlike the […]

Senate staff members released four proposed congressional maps and four proposed Senate maps that will go before redistricting subcommittees next week.

Florida’s new 28th U.S. House district would be planted in Central Florida, west of the Osceola County and Polk County line, under initial redistricting proposals...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will seek re-election next fall.

State Sen. Annette Taddeo jumped into the Democratic primary race for governor on Monday, saying she is the candidate who can excite voters in her...

State Sen. Annette Taddeo is entering the Democratic primary for governor in Florida.

After weeks of controversy that became a political issue between Gov. Ron DeSantis and one of his potential rivals in the 2022 gubernatorial election, Florida children are set to receive over $1 billion in federal relief funding.

Democrat Charlie Crist denounced Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday as an “oppressive tyrant” endangering children to please his political base.

The civil trial concerns whether a temporary restraining order granted to candidate Anna Paulina Luna should be made permanent, which would prevent 2020 GOP primary rival William Braddock from having contact with her. Braddock clearly hated my guts and wanted to hurt me,” said Luna, who is an Air Force veteran and media consultant. Luna is a candidate again for the seat being vacated by Democrat Charlie Crist, who is running for governor. In 2020, Luna lost by about 24,600 votes to the far better-known Crist in the District 13 congressional race. Crist previously was Florida governor as a Republican and has held or run for several other elected posts.

The once-a-decade battle over redistricting is set to be a showdown over the suburbs.

The ideological schism over preventive protocols in Florida aids DeSantis’ rise as a national presidential contender, and sharpens opposition.

Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing previous peaks reached during last summer’s surge.

Despite pleas from the city of St. Petersburg, environmentalists and activists, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis doubled down Wednesday and again refused to declare a state of emergency for Tampa Bay's ongoing red tide.Why it matters: DeSantis said his office is committed to working with the community to fight the red tide, but argued that a state of emergency would hurt businesses by sending the message that "Florida has problems." Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for

Free Britney Rally Fans and supporters of pop star Britney Spears protest at the Lincoln Memorial, during the "Free Britney" rally, Wednesday, July 14, 2021, in Washington. Rallies have been taking place across the country since the pop star spoke out against her conservatorship in court last month. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) (Jose Luis Magana)COLUMBIA, S.C. — (AP) — Prompted by Britney Spears' conservatorship fight, a bipartisan legislative effort has emerged to reform the process created to protect the rights of more than 1 million people across the United States under the protective arrangements. On Tuesday, Reps. Charlie Crist and Nancy Mace unveiled “The Free Britney Act,” designed to give more options to people placed under conservatorships. “Her situation is a nightmare, and if it can happen to Britney Spears, it can happen to anyone in this country.”Speaking in open court, Spears condemned her father and others who control the conservatorship, put in place as Spears underwent a mental health crisis in 2008.

Prompted by Britney Spears conservatorship fight, a bipartisan legislative effort has emerged to reform the process.

The tragedy in Surfside, Florida, is exposing voters to a different side of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares for a reelection bid next year that could propel him into a presidential campaign.

With a strategy of leaning on small-dollar donors, Democrat candidate for Florida governor Nikki Fried announced her first month’s fundraising numbers Tuesday, a modest haul coming in at just under $813,000.

President Joe Biden will make his first trip to Florida in 2021 to meet families, first responders and others impacted by Surfside condo collapse.

"I do not feel safe and I am currently in fear for my life from Mr. Braddock," Anna Paulina Luna said in her petition.

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara)ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — (AP) — Claims by a Republican congressional candidate that another GOP hopeful plotted to kill her landed Tuesday in a Florida courtroom. In court Tuesday, Braddock, who has already filed as a GOP candidate, told a judge he opposes the injunction and wants to “obtain, review and validate” any evidence against him. She said the temporary restraining orders against Braddock and Olszewski will remain in effect, and she cautioned him to not violate them. She also said others told her “that means he intends to kill me.”“I do not feel safe and I am currently in fear for my life from Mr. Braddock,” Luna said in her petition. In 2020, Luna lost by about 24,600 votes to the far better-known Crist in the District 13 congressional race in Pinellas County.

Claims by one Republican congressional candidate that another GOP hopeful plotted to kill her have landed in a Florida courtroom.

Rep. Charlie Crist responded to a report that found Florida tied with Texas for the most arrests stemming from the January 6 Capitol riot.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress, including most of South Florida’s representatives, are introducing new legislation in response to an ongoing crackdown on political dissent in Nicaragua by leftist President Daniel Ortega.

For the third time in three months, the Florida Supreme Court dashed the hopes of Floridians who want to see expanded access to cannabis.

It’s Monday, June 14. Happy Flag Day. Two hundred and forty four years ago in 1777, the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia took a break from writing the Articles of Confederation and passed a resolution designating the stars and stripes as the official flag of the United States.

Republicans are talking about Nikki Fried and Val Demings reflects a concerted strategy of sexism and denigration with no factual basis.

When the city of St. Petersburg asked the state to light up the Sunshine Skyway bridge in rainbow colors for LGBTQ Pride month last year, the request was denied. The decision was mildly controversial — Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist wrote a letter to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis about it. Crist’s office didn’t get a response. The St. Pete Pride parade was canceled because of the pandemic, Pride month came and went, and other institutions glowed with rainbows. But not the Skyway.

June is Pride month, and Florida seems hellbent on looking as homophobic as possible. On Tuesday, a day after Jacksonville’s Acosta Bridge was lit with...

A schoolyard clash over rainbow Pride flags got some students suspended and others expelled from their Florida middle school.

Gov. Ron DeSantis took swipes on Wednesday at the latest Democrat to announce their run for the governor's office ahead of the 2022 gubernatorial race.

Fried has consistently criticized incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, even calling him an 'authoritarian dictator' at one point.

Nikki Fried criticized Republicans’ two-decade hold on Florida government in a video announcing her gubernatorial campaign.

Florida Governor FILE- In this Nov. 2, 2019, Nikki Fried, Democratic candidate for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, speaks during a campaign rally, in Miami. Fried, the only Democrat currently holding statewide office, has teased a June 1 date to publicly announce whether she will run for Florida governor. The state department’s website shows Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried filed to run for governor in the 2022 election on Tuesday. READ: Charlie Crist announces run for Florida governorU.S. Rep. Charlie Crist announced last month that he also plans to run for the governor’s office to try to unseat Republican Gov. Crist served as a Republican governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011, but did not seek reelection in 2010, when he instead made an unsuccessful run for the Senate.

As he heads into his 2022 reelection campaign, Florida's Ron DeSantis has emerged from the political uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic as arguably the country’s most prominent Republican governor.

As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis struggled to contain the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats readied to pounce. The state's economy was in tatters, infections and deaths were on the rise and there were doubts about the Republican's plan to lead Florida out of crisis. Now that the pandemic appears to be waning and DeSantis is heading into his reelection campaign next year, he has emerged from the political uncertainty as one of the most prominent Republican governors and an early White House front-runner in 2024 among Donald Trump's acolytes, if the former president doesn't run again.

The governor told a cheering crowd that he was only beginning to fight, which some are interpreting as a possible hint for a 2024 presidential run.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The last time Florida Democrats held the governor’s mansion was in the late 1990s. The last time Florida Democrats won a U.S. Senate race was in 2012. With two marquee statewide races on the ballot in 2022, Florida Democrats are looking to reverse their fortunes. “It’s unclear how those seats will be affected, the Crist seat, the Murphy seat the Demings seat because Republicans control redistricting,” says Hanley. Meanwhile Congresswoman Val Demings is expected to jump in the U.S. Senate race to face Marco Rubio.

Rep. Val Demings is planning to challenge Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, giving Democrats a boost in a competitive 2022 race that could decide control of the Senate.

Florida Rep. Val Demings is planning to challenge Sen. Marco Rubio next year, giving Democrats a boost in a competitive race that could be among a handful that determine control of the Senate, according to two people with knowledge of the plans. The move ends mounting speculation over the Orlando congresswoman's political future. In focusing on the Senate instead, Demings could quickly become a front-runner among Democrats and tap into a national network of fundraisers to help finance what will likely be an expensive campaign.

The law makes changes to mail-in voting and third-party ballot collection and dropoff. DeSantis' bill-signing event was hosted by a Trump fan club.

“The legislation has a deliberate and disproportionate impact on elderly voters, voters with disabilities, students and communities of color. Democrats acknowledge that the Florida law won’t be as draconian as the one recently adopted by its neighbor to the north. The GOP-controlled Florida Legislature passed the law without a single Democratic vote, even as Florida Republicans have hailed their state as a model for conducting elections. The newly signed law restricts when ballot drop boxes can be used and who can collect ballots — and how many. The result: Florida Democrats outvoted Republicans by mail for the first time in years as a record 4.9 million Floridians voted by mail.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who is the first Democrat to enter the gubernatorial race, traded barbs on Tuesday.

Charlie Crist, the state’s former Republican governor turned Democratic congressman, is expected to announce that he’s making another run for governor as a Democrat.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – State Sen. Randolph Bracy released a campaign-style video Tuesday strongly hinting that he’ll consider seeking the Democratic nomination to face Republican Gov. In the video, Bracy discusses problems facing the state because of the coronavirus pandemic, says the state needs to change course and needs a governor who will work with both parties to help Florida through the crisis. We need to leave behind the small fights at the Capitol and figure out how to work together to move Florida in the right direction. But in a phone interview, Bracy said the video posted on his website isn't an announcement that he's getting in the race. Bracy, 43, of Orlando, was elected to the House in 2012, where he served before being elected to the Senate in 2016.

Eric Holcomb received his COVID-19 vaccine shot Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the opening of the state’s first mass vaccination clinic. Holcomb wore a face mask in the front passenger seat of an SUV while getting the shot of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the drive-through clinic. Ad___TORONTO — Canada is getting a fourth vaccine to prevent COVID-19, approving the Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose. Canada has pre-purchased 10 million Johnson & Johnson doses, with options to buy another 28 million. The U.S. approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last month.

Bruce Rauner, last week gave the Florida governor's campaign committee $250,000. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried joined Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist in calling for federal officials to probe the DeSantis administration’s vaccine distribution programs. AdDuring a Thursday news conference, DeSantis expressed no misgivings about the early vaccinations at the exclusive Key Largo community. In recent weeks, other reports have surfaced of wealthy retirement communities getting exclusive access to vaccine doses through pop-up vaccine sites. Bruce Rauner to the Florida governor's campaign committee.

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Mason-Dixon poll released Tuesday finds more than half of registered Florida voters support Ron DeSantis’ performance as the state’s governor, News 6 partner WJXT-TV reported. The poll shows that statewide, 53% of respondents approve of how DeSantis is handling his job, 42% disapprove and 5% were undecided. Of those polled, 51% of Florida voters said between Fried and DeSantis, they would vote for DeSantis. When it comes to Fried, 65% of Florida voters would vote for DeSantis, 32% would vote for Fried and 3% were undecided. Mason-Dixon polled a total of 625 registered Florida voters who were interviewed live by telephone statewide from Feb. 24 through Feb. 28.

As election postmortems go, the one that began in Florida Wednesday was especially wrenching for Democrats. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Perhaps only in Florida is a loss by fewer than 4 percentage points considered a public drubbing. Democrats zeroed in on two clear explanations: Biden didn't connect with the state's Latino voters, performing particularly poorly with Cuban voters in South Florida. Some Democrats also give Republicans credit for registering thousands of new voters and narrowing the voter registration advantage Democrats have long had. For Taddeo, the Democratic state senator, it means going back to basics.

LIVE LOOK | Long line forms at Volusia County voting location LIVE LOOK | Long line forms for voting at McInnis Elementary in Volusia County. In Marion County, voters are also set to surpass 2016 total turnout with 72% by 3 p.m. In fact, President Trump made several campaign stops here within the last couple of weeks. pic.twitter.com/qb22CE2U4e — Mark Knoller (@markknoller) November 3, 202010:08 a.m.More people have voted in Orange County, Florida, this year than in 2016. Florida residents will also get to vote on six state constitutional amendments, including an increase on minimum wage.

The Latest: Gimenez wins House seat over Mucarsel-PowellRepublican Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has won a Florida seat in the U.S. House, defeating a single-term Democrat. The 41-year-old Democrat easily defeated Republican H. Wayne Clark in the heavily Democratic county. _____8:17 p.m.Republican Kat Cammack has won Florida’s U.S. House seat held by her former boss, retiring Florida Republican Rep. Ted Yoho. _____7:22 p.m.Republican state Rep. Byron Donalds has been elected to the U.S. House seat now held by Florida Republican Francis Rooney. “I feel he’s just more level-headed.”______7 a.m.Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden have campaigned heavily in Florida, each hoping to win the prized battleground state’s 29 electoral votes.

— District 3: Republican Kat Cammack has won Florida’s U.S. House seat held by her former boss, retiring Florida Republican Rep. Ted Yoho. He defeated Democrat Donna Deegan, a former television news anchor who has worked to raise money for breast cancer research and to help patients. — District 15: Republican Scott Franklin has won Florida Rep. Ross Spano’s seat in the U.S. House. Deutch was first elected in 2010 and represents a firmly Democratic district that includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties. A supermajority of Florida voters approved the amendment to the Florida Constitution that will raise Florida’s minimum wage from the current $8.56 an hour to $15 an hour by 2026.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. State Rep. Dane Eagle was appointed as executive director of the state's employment agency on Wednesday, a little more than two weeks after barely losing a Republican primary for Congress in a heavily GOP district. The agency was widely criticized for long delays in paying out unemployment benefits after the economy tanked during the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of people waited weeks and sometimes months for benefits from the glitch-ridden unemployment system after suddenly losing work amid the outbreak. But Crist dropped out of the Republican primary, ran as an independent and lost to Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Lawson remained as director of the Department of Economic Opportunity, but management of the unemployment system was given to Department of Management Services Secretary Jonathan Satter.