ORLANDO, Fla. – Candidates are making their final push to voters before Tuesday’s primary election.
Dr. Jim Clark, News 6 political pundit and UCF history professor, joined host Justin Warmoth on “The Weekly” to preview some of the key races, including the Democratic primary for governor.
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Although the showdown between Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried appears to be heating up, Crist, a former governor and current congressman, has spent more money on campaign ads than his Democratic challenger, which is critical to winning the state election in Florida.
“Florida is like California,” Clark said. “It has eight television markets, and you have to be in all of them. Florida is a very difficult state to gain traction in.”
Fried, who was elected Florida agriculture commissioner in 2018, has run on two primary platforms: She is the only Democrat elected statewide in Florida and the only pro-choice candidate , pointing to Crist’s policies on abortion access when he was a Florida Republican. governor from 2007-11.
“The overreach of Roe v. Wade may have helped Fried to some, but it has had difficulty gaining traction,” Clark said. “She doesn’t have the money that Charlie Crist has, which isn’t much compared to Governor DeSantis.”
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Clark said whoever comes out on top will have an uphill battle against Gov. DeSantis and the aforementioned record amount of campaign dollars he’s raised.
“Eight years ago, you and I were talking about Rick Scott setting spending records,” Clark said. “We thought nothing would top this, and it has.”
Other contests Clark discussed include the Democratic primary for attorney general and three congressional races: District 7, District 11 and District 10.
While Florida is a closed primary state, meaning you have to be a Democrat, Republican or otherwise registered to vote for specific races, there are a number of other positions up for grabs on Tuesday.
The polls will be open from 7 am to 7 pm on Tuesday, August 23.
Watch the full interview in the video player above.
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