Rep. Charlie Crist, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Florida, has taken an early lead over Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), according to a newly released poll. The development comes as DeSantis faces scrutiny over his disastrous handling of the pandemic amid a record surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the Sunshine State.
The survey, conducted by Florida-based firm St. Pete Polls, found that 45 percent of voters said they would vote for Crist while 44 percent said they would back DeSantis.
St. Pete Polls noted that about 11 percent of the more than 3,900 respondents in the poll, conducted from Monday to Tuesday, said they were still undecided about their choice for governor heading into the 2022 contest.
DeSantis, a staunch ally of former President Trump, is also considered a favorite by many for a potential 2024 White House bid.
Rep. Christ, who previously served as governor from 2007 to 2011, called on DeSantis to require state employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, saying, “The way to stamp out the virus, and protect our public health, economy and our jobs, is to get everyone vaccinated.”
Florida now accounts for about 1 in 5 new coronavirus cases nationally and on Tuesday broke its record for coronavirus hospitalizations for the third straight day, with 11,515 recorded.
Crist last week accused DeSantis of neglecting his duties amid the pandemic, arguing, “We don’t have leadership.”
The congressman argued that DeSantis has focused on responses to the migration surge at the Texas border rather than the worsening COVID-19 figures in his own state.
“What’s he [DeSantis] doing about it? He’s going to Texas. He goes to the border. Texas. You’re the governor of Florida, you know,” Crist said. “He doesn’t understand. And you know he’s spending our tax dollars out there, giving our law enforcement to Texas while people are dying in Florida. Unbelievable.”
