Florida Democrats rallied Saturday against Gov. Ron DeSantis at the party’s annual Obama Roosevelt Legacy Gala, calling for his defeat in 2022 in order to end “the cruelty that has been inflicted upon our state.”
The three Democrats seeking the gubernatorial nomination all appeared at the Broward County dinner and condemned the Republican Mr. DeSantis for endorsing legislation that would end sex education for young school children, prohibit most abortions after 15 weeks and ban critical race theory and other “woke” curricula in schools.
“The governor is focused on doing things that really don’t change people’s lives, except create more hate and division against gay people, against women, against Latinos, against everybody,” Rep. Charlie Crist, who is seeking to challenge Mr. DeSantis, told the crowd, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
The Sun-Sentinel reported that Mr. DeSantis appears to have displaced former President Donald Trump as the top GOP villain, at least according to Nikki Fried, the state agriculture commissioner who also is seeking the Democratic nomination in the governor’s race.
“After almost 25 straight years of Republican governors, we finally have found the worst of them all,” Ms. Fried said. “The pain of the last 60 days, the cruelty that has been inflicted upon our state is unimaginable.”
Democrats said the sex education bill passed by the Florida Legislature, which Mr. DeSantis has endorsed and said he will sign, is an anti-gay measure that will censure school teachers and silence discussion about LGBTQ issues.
Mr. DeSantis is under pressure from Walt Disney Co. executives to block the bill, but he indicated last week that the amusement park and entertainment giant, one of the state’s largest employers and tourist attractions, is not going to change his mind.
Critics have labeled the legislation the “Don’t say gay” bill.
At the dinner, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat who represents a district in South Florida, led the audience in a “Let’s say gay” chant, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
Democrats vying to defeat Mr. DeSantis face obstacles.
Florida’s Republican electorate is growing and has surpassed Democratic voters in the state, while President Biden’s low approval ratings threaten to drag down the November ticket.
Polls show Mr. DeSantis with a solid and consistent lead over Democratic challengers in his bid for a second term.
In addition to Mr. Crist and Ms. Fried, state Sen. Annette Taddeo is seeking the Democratic nomination. Mr. Crist, himself a former governor, is leading Ms. Fried and Mrs. Taddeo, polls show.
The latest Mason-Dixon poll of Democratic voters, released mid-February, showed Mr. Crist leading Ms. Fried, 44% to 27%. Mrs. Taddeo trailed with just 3% of support from Democratic primary voters.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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