Polls Shows Crist Closing In On DeSantis With Election 10 Weeks Away

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — With 10 weeks until the general election, a poll released Thursday by Clarity Campaign Labs showed Gov. Ron DeSantis' lead in the race for Florida governor narrowing: 48 to 45 percent.

The poll has DeSantis with a 3-point lead over Democratic opponent Charlie Crist.

It closely aligns with a post-primary poll released by Impact Research Aug. 26 that had DeSantis leading with 51 percent to Crist's 46 percent.

Crist was emboldened by the poll, announcing the results on Twitter.

"A new poll has us statistically tied with Ron DeSantis," he said. "He's beatable and we're going to stop him."

Crist said it's not simply a battle to put a Democrat back in the governor's mansion. It's a battle to keep President Joe Biden in the White House for another term.

Although DeSantis hasn't officially declared a run for the presidency in 2024, his frequent appearances outside Florida hint at his intentions.

“Together, we can make Ron DeSantis a one-term governor and ensure he never steps foot anywhere near the White House,” Crist said.

With the Nov. 8 general election looming and the end-of-month campaign finance report deadline on Aug. 31, Crist spent this week hitting the streets to drum up donations to replenish his campaign coffers.

So far, Crist has raised more than $15.3 million in his bid for governor, but spent nearly half of that money ($7.1 million) on the Aug. 23 primary race to defeat Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.

"We're cutting it close. I'm worried we're not going to hit our fundraising goal by the midnight deadline," Crist admitted Wednesday.

Sounding more like an auctioneer than a politician running for office, he appealed to supporters to contribute.

"We have only five hours left until our midnight fundraising deadline. We’re up against billionaires and special interests here. Can you help us by chipping in $3?"

As the deadline approached, Crist lowered the bid, saying, "Chip in what you can — even $1 — to stop him from ever living in the White House."

Crist said he's going to need every dollar to defeat the sitting Republican governor.

According to the nonprofit Open Secrets, about 80 percent of the contributions Crist has received were from small donors who gave an average of $50. The largest contribution was $500,000 from the American Federation of Teachers and the largest individual donation was $303,000 from Stiefel Medicinal Soap heiress Barbara Stiefel.

DeSantis, meanwhile, is rolling in the dough, raising $172 million so far, just shy of the country's all-time record for a gubernatorial campaign.

Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker holds the record, raising $180 million during his 2018 bid for governor. He's followed by former eBay president Republican Margaret Cushing Whitman, who raised just under $177 million during her unsuccessful bid to become governor of California in 2010.

Both Pritzker and Whitman, however, backed their campaigns with their own money. DeSantis hasn't.

"Far-right billionaires are spending big to prop up DeSantis," Crist said, adding, "This guy wants to be president of the United States of America."

He noted that DeSantis won his first bid for governor in 2018 by only half a point, defeating opponent Andrew Gillum by 32,000 votes.

"This race is going to come down to the wire – and a few thousand votes could make all the difference," Crist said.

DeSantis supporters are quick to point out that the governor was a relative unknown when he narrowly defeated Gillum. During the past four years in the governor's mansion, he's turned controversy into an asset that's made him a nationally known political figure.

But with the latest polls showing Crist and DeSantis in a dead heat, Susan MacManus, a retired University of South Florida political science professor and political analyst, said Crist still has a chance to overcome the odds.

"It looks insurmountable right now, but politics shift, issues shift," MacManus said in an interview with CNN. "A snap of a finger, things can change."