Crist to DeSantis: Will you run for president? Florida governor refuses to say in caustic debate
NBCAPR 2023
It's obvious that Ron DeSantis dominated the debate against Charlie Crist, who could hardly keep up with DeSantis's charismatic style. Crist is having such a hard time raising money for his campaign that he solicited donations from the victims of Hurricane Ian. Simply put, Crist is not a leader, and given DeSantis's comfortable lead in both fundraising and polling, he will likely win an easy victory.
Though the odds that Crist will win are slim, he put on a good performance during the debate and rightfully portrayed DeSantis as a Trumpish Republican who is more interested in theatrics and potentially running for president than he is in governing Florida. DeSantis, much like his idol, former Pres. Trump, has consistently compromised the lives of millions of Floridians for his cruel political stunts.
This debate was an unfortunate reminder of how ugly the US's political culture has become. DeSantis and Crist traded insults, precooked one-liners, and talking points as each side’s supporters in the audience awkwardly howled in derision of the other candidate and approval of their own.