Five takeaways from the only Florida governor debate between DeSantis and Crist - CNN

CNN  — 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democrat Charlie Crist went toe-to-toe connected abortion, Hurricane Ian response, the state’s ongoing civilization wars and the rising Republican’s aboriginal governmental ambitions successful an hour-long statement that produced a fistful of notable moments that whitethorn conscionable yet occurrence up Democrats successful this state.

Down successful the polls and astir retired of run money, Crist entered the Sunrise Theatre successful Fort Pierce, Florida, with almost thing near to suffer and helium repeatedly enactment DeSantis connected the antiaircraft implicit the divisive docket that has catapulted the Republican into GOP stardom.​ Crist’s nonsubjective Monday was twofold: physique momentum for the last weeks of the Florida contention and bruise the nationalist estimation of DeSantis, who is besides weighing a imaginable presidential superior campaign against erstwhile President Donald Trump arsenic helium seeks reelection arsenic governor.

In the look of Crist’s broadsides, DeSantis mostly stayed the course, visibly gritting his teeth astatine times oregon feigning a smile, portion sticking to his talking points and delivering a bid of well-timed lines. DeSantis appeared little astatine easiness connected the statement signifier than astatine his hand-crafted quality conferences orchestrated to showcase his signature combative style. It was a accepted show of a front-runner – and with a comfy pb and astir $100 cardinal near successful the bank, DeSantis is surely that, albeit 1 who has risen up the GOP’s statesmanlike powerfulness rankings by bucking accepted wisdom.

Here are 5 takeaways from Monday’s archetypal and lone statement of Florida’s politician race.

Crist entered the statement seeking to technologist a race-altering infinitesimal that could galvanize not conscionable Florida Democrats but radical astir the state looking to dilatory DeSantis’ nationalist rise.

With DeSantis and Crist often connected opposing sides of a divided surface and with a raucous assemblage cheering implicit the objections of a statement moderator, the nighttime produced plentifulness of opportunities for Crist to bash conscionable that.

In 1 specified moment, Crist attempted to get DeSantis to perpetrate to a afloat four-year word if helium wins successful November.

DeSantis, considering a tally for president successful 2024, wouldn’t bite.

The speech began with DeSantis comparing Crist’s policies to President Joe Biden. Crist responded by suggesting DeSantis was focused connected Biden due to the fact that helium wants to look the President successful 2024.

“I person a question for you. You’re moving for governor. Why don’t you look successful the eyes of the radical of the authorities of Florida and accidental to them if you’re reelected, you volition service a afloat four-year word arsenic governor?” Crist said. “Yes oregon no?”

DeSantis stared into the camera and didn’t respond, producing a prolonged silence.

Crist past chimed in, “It’s not a pugnacious question. It’s a just question. He won’t archer you.”

Debate moderator WPEC anchor Liz Quirantes informed the assemblage that the candidates did not hold to inquire each different questions straight connected stage.

When Crist’s clip expired, DeSantis yet responded.

“I cognize that Charlie’s funny successful talking astir 2024, successful Joe Biden,” DeSantis said. “But I conscionable privation to marque things very, precise clear. The lone worn retired aged donkey I’m looking to enactment retired to pasture is Charlie Crist.”

After the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade successful precocious June, DeSantis successful a connection said helium would instrumentality steps to “protect life” successful Florida, but helium has declined successful the months since to accidental what that enactment mightiness be. When Quirantes asked DeSantis what week termination entree should beryllium chopped disconnected successful Florida, the politician said helium was “proud” of the state’s 15-week prohibition that helium signed into instrumentality earlier this twelvemonth but didn’t accidental if helium would enactment authorities to further restrict entree successful the state.

“I conscionable deliberation we’re amended erstwhile everybody counts,” DeSantis said. “I recognize not everyone’s going to beryllium calved successful cleanable circumstances, but I would similar to spot everybody person a shot.”

Crist criticized the effect for not answering the question and said the state’s caller 15-week prohibition was “callous” and barbaric.” The instrumentality includes exemptions for a fatal fetal abnormality if 2 physicians corroborate the diagnosis successful penning oregon erstwhile a gestation is simply a “serious risk” to the mother. It does not let exemptions for rape, incest oregon quality trafficking.

“We conscionable recovered retired precocious astir a lawsuit of a mediate schoolhouse miss adjacent Jacksonville, who was a unfortunate of incest, became impregnated due to the fact that of the measure you signed, governor,” Crist said. “She had to spell 2 to 3 states successful bid to instrumentality attraction of this issue.”

DeSantis accused Crist of lone supporting termination rights retired of governmental expediency. He noted that erstwhile Crist was a Republican, helium often considered himself connected the different broadside of the termination debate. Crist, a erstwhile GOP politician who near his enactment successful 2010, erstwhile characterized himself arsenic “pro-life.”

“The question is, is this an honorable alteration of heart? Or is this a feline that’s going to displacement with immoderate erstwhile helium needs to to effort to support his governmental vocation alive?” DeSantis said. “I deliberation we each cognize the reply to that question.”

Though coy astir abortion, DeSantis much willingly defended his different actions that person drawn predominant disapproval and lawsuits from Democrats, migrant groups, LGBTQ groups and their allies, but that person besides generated wide entreaty to the GOP basal successful Florida and beyond.

On caller authorities rules preventing definite transgender wellness attraction for minors, DeSantis likened “gender affirming care” to “chemically castrating young boys,” adding: “A batch of kids spell done a batch of antithetic things. A batch of the dysphoria resolves itself by the clip they go adults.”

On the flights helium orchestrated that took migrants from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, helium said, “It’s bittersweet that it comes to this but what we did enactment this contented beforehand and center.”

On banning captious contention mentation from the classroom, DeSantis said, “I don’t privation to thatch kids to hatred our country. I don’t privation to thatch kids to hatred each different and the mode to halt favoritism connected the ground of contention is to halt discriminating connected the ground of race.”

In a remark that seemed aimed astatine overmuch of DeSantis’ defence connected these topics, Crist said, “He talks astir it similar it’s fun. It’s not. These are hard issues and they merit mature leadership.”

Crist and Biden person been successful lockstep implicit the President’s docket for overmuch of their 2 years overlapping successful Washington. But Crist made wide Monday helium disagrees with Biden’s appraisal of DeSantis’ tempest management.

At a associated quality earlier this period successful Fort Myers Beach, wherever Hurricane Ian destroyed astir beachfront property, Biden told reporters DeSantis’ effect to the devastation was “pretty remarkable.” Crist, though, accused DeSantis of leaving radical successful harm’s way.

Crist noted DeSantis attended a precocious schoolhouse shot crippled connected the Friday earlier the tempest made landfall and said helium was “AWOL for astir 24 hours” erstwhile a determination could person been made to evacuate Lee County.

“And arsenic a result, 100 radical suffer their lives?” Crist said. “That’s not a bully record. And that’s not bully leadership.”

DeSantis said Crist was trying to “politicize” the response.

“Our connection was perceive to your locals, it’s yet a section decision,” DeSantis said. “I basal by each 1 of our section counties. They stood up, they worked hard and they made the champion decisions with the accusation that they had.”

DeSantis became a governmental unit done his absorption of the Covid-19 pandemic and it remains a predominant focal constituent of the stump speeches helium delivers successful Florida and beyond.

If Crist had been politician astatine the time, DeSantis said, “it would person thrown millions of Floridians into turmoil.”

“And I tin archer you arsenic Charlie Crist and his friends successful Congress were urging you to beryllium locked down, I lifted you up,” DeSantis said. “I protected your rights. I made definite you could gain a living. I made definite you could run your businesses and I worked similar heck to marque definite we had each our kids successful schoolhouse successful idiosyncratic 5 days a week.”

Crist attempted to situation DeSantis’ perceived spot caput on.

“We person 1 of the highest decease rates successful America, Ron, and implicit 6 cardinal of our chap Floridians person gotten Covid nether your leadership,” helium said. “Now that’s not thing to beryllium boastful and arrogant of.”

Crist besides brought immoderate dizzying logic to the statement erstwhile helium called DeSantis “the lone politician successful the past of Florida” to unopen down schools and businesses, a motion to the play aboriginal successful the 2020 pandemic erstwhile the Sunshine State, similar astir of the country, followed pandemic mitigation measures encouraged by the Trump administration. Crist past said, “It’s important to perceive to science, to bash what’s right, to utilize communal sense. You don’t conscionable unopen down astatine the outset.”

But those mitigation strategies, including societal distancing and halting concern activity, were recommended by scientists astatine the time. And Crist was 1 of 13 Florida Democrats successful Congress who successful a missive urged DeSantis to contented a stay-at-home bid successful March 2020 — weeks into the pandemic.

DeSantis said helium reopened schools against the objections of teacher unions, a cardinal Crist ally.

“We conscionable got the Nation’s Report Card, the results from each 50 states,” DeSantis said. “Florida: fig 3 successful 4th people speechmaking and fig 4 successful the state successful 4th people math. … That would not person happened if we fto Charlie Crist and his friends fastener our kids retired of schoolhouse similar they did successful California and similar they did successful New York. We did it close successful Florida.”