Can Florida Democrats take down DeSantis?

The big question on Florida Democrats’ minds: Can they beat Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)?

The party’s voters on Tuesday are set to choose between Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), a former Republican governor who’s making his second attempt at reclaiming his old office, and state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the lone statewide elected Democrat, in the primary to challenge DeSantis this fall. 

But while few Republicans ignite the same kind of outrage among Democrats as DeSantis does, it’s unclear whether the party has the candidates — or the firepower — to oust a governor whose political rise among conservatives appears, at times, unstoppable.

Fernand Amandi, a Miami-based Democratic pollster who helped former President Obama win the state in 2008 and 2012, said that just a few months ago, DeSantis looked “unbeatable.” But since then, he said, the political landscape has shifted drastically, thanks in no small part to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the seminal abortion rights case.

“He now looks vulnerable,” Amandi said. “That doesn’t mean he’s going to be defeated, but it means the dynamics have changed enough at the national level that what once looked like a sure thing is now a potentially competitive race.”

“If the Democratic candidates can make Ron DeSantis the poster boy for Republican extremism and what the future of Republican extremism can look like if he’s not defeated, then they can position themselves to win,” he added. “If the race is about anything else, it’s going to be very difficult,” Amandi added.