TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A defiant Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to commit to serving a full four-year term if reelected when pressed by his Democratic rival, Charlie Crist, at their only gubernatorial debate on Monday.
Crist, a former congressman and one-term governor, accused DeSantis, a rising Republican star considered a likely 2024 presidential contender, of being too distracted by his national political ambitions to lead properly. DeSantis skirted several attempts by Crist to get him to say he’d serve a full second term.
“I know that Charlie is interested in talking about 2024 and Joe Biden, but I just want to make things very, very clear: The only worn-out old donkey I’m looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist,” DeSantis said of his 66-year-old opponent.
Later, Crist slapped back, “You won’t even say if you want to be the governor of Florida after this election.”
There were several heated clashes during a raucous debate that covered the COVID-19 pandemic, abortion, crime, education and President Joe Biden. The meeting came on the first day of early voting across the state; already, more than 1.1 million votes have been cast, the most in the nation.
The Florida governor’s race may not be the nation’s most competitive election this fall, but it is no less consequential for DeSantis, a 44-year-old Harvard-educated Republican who could launch a presidential bid in the coming months. He hopes to use a strong reelection victory on Nov. 8 in Florida, a state he carried by just 32,000 votes out of 8.2 million cast four years ago, to demonstrate the breadth and strength of his support.
DeSantis has benefited from demographic shifts across Florida, a perennial swing state that has shifted to the right during his first term. Former President Donald Trump carried the state by more than 3 points in 2020 and Republicans now hold a registration advantage of nearly 300,000 voters.
Monday’s debate offered voters in Florida and beyond a rare opportunity to see DeSantis under pressure. Like many leading GOP officials across the nation this fall, he has limited unscripted moments in recent months, save for periodic interviews with friendly conservative media.
The candidates faced each other from behind wooden lecterns in Fort Pierce, Florida’s Sunrise Theater. Both men seemed to relish the hourlong fight, which was interrupted repeatedly by the rowdy audience.
DeSantis’ embrace of divisive cultural issues weighed heavily on the…