Decision '22 | Featured Stories

By Beth Stibal |

Political expert gives DeSantis a “B” and Crist a “C” in last night’s debate

Election 2022 Florida Governor Debate
(Crystal Vander Weit/TCPalm.com via AP, Pool)

(FORT PIERCE, FLA) — Two weeks away from the midterms and Florida’s governor’s race is heating up with a noisy debate between the former party-mates turned political rivals.

Incumbent Governor Ron DeSantis was all business and rarely deviated from his list of achievements and future plans for Florida despite a raucous, rude audience.

Christ, on the other hand, did not give many specifics about his plan for the state should he become governor again, instead he harped on the topic of abortion and continuously called DeSantis a “liar.”

Election 2022 Florida Governor Debate
Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a televised debate against Democratic opponent Charlie Crist, at Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, Fla., Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Dr. Sean Foreman, head of Barry University’s political science department, thought DeSantis was slightly better than Crist and graded their performances last night as a “B” and a “C” respectively.

And what was that line? DeSantis said that Crist was the only old donkey he was looking to take down, insinuating he is not targeting President Joe Biden.

Crist also served as the 44th governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011. Crist has been a member of the Democratic Party since 2012. He began his political career as a Republican before becoming an independent in 2010 and a Democrat in 2012.

Listen to the full interview with Dr. Sean Foreman here.