A defiant Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to commit to serving a full four-year term if re-elected 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.
There were several heated clashes during a raucous debate that covered the COVID-19 pandemic, abortion, crime, education and U.S. 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. 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.
Yet DeSantis has delighted his supporters over and over with his extraordinary willingness to fight -- whether facing political adversaries, the federal government or powerful Florida businesses. Crist, a former Republican governor who most recently served as a Democratic congressman, has tried to cast himself as a moderate alternative to lead the perennial swing state.
The Category 4 storm exposed flaws in the state's fragile property insurance market, which has lost more than US$1 billion in each of the last two years. Hundreds of thousands of Floridians have had their policies dropped or not renewed.