It's difficult to imagine that Charlie Crist, the Florida gubernatorial candidate, truly believes he stands a snowball's chance at ousting Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), one of the most popular governors in modern history.
According to the Washington Examiner, DeSantis is winning on all fronts, especially in the fundraising department. The Republican governor continues to set massive fundraising records for himself, while Crist begs for the few dollars, relatively speaking, that he has in his campaign war chest.
In total, to date, DeSantis has managed to rake in a staggering $177.4 million for his reelection campaign.
The Examiner noted:
The amount is the newest record for a gubernatorial campaign without adjusting for inflation, according to Open Secrets. His campaign garnered $31.4 million since January 2021, and his state-level PAC Friends of Ron DeSantis, which is not subject to contribution limits, reported $146 million since January 2019.
In stark contrast, Crist, a struggling Democratic candidate, has only managed to take in a fraction of that, raising only $20 million so far. Sure, he has some support in the state, but given how red Florida has become in recent years, a Democrat running for office in the Sunshine State doesn't stand much of a chance.
Watchdog group says Ron DeSantis has broken gubernatorial fundraising record | Just The News https://t.co/9hYLjUQfC9
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) September 17, 2022
Notably, 42 billionaires have donated to DeSantis' campaign, coming from 15 different states, proving that the rest of the country wants to keep Florida exactly how it is.
Aside from not having much in the way of money, Crist's next challenge will come in early October, when he'll debate Gov. DeSantis.
Only time will tell, but it seems clear that Florida is meant to stay red for the time being.