Politics / Ron DeSantis Ron DeSantis Easily Wins Re-Election in Florida Governor and possible 2024 presidential nominee defeats Democrat Charlie Crist By Newser Editors, Newser Staff Posted Nov 8, 2022 7:11 PM CST Copied Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign rally, Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) He may well run for president, but first Ron DeSantis had to make sure he didn't lose his governor's seat in Florida. On Tuesday, the Republican did just that by defeating Democrat Charlie Crist. The AP called the race about an hour after polls closed at 7. DeSantis led 55-43 with 73% of the vote counted, per Politico. A tight race would have been a strike against his presidential ambitions. DeSantis campaigned against the "woke agenda" of liberals and didn't mention the moderate Crist by name too much on the trail, per the AP. Crist, for his part, accused DeSantis of putting his national ambitions ahead of the concerns of Florida. (In a debate, Crist tried to get DeSantis to commit to serving a full four-term as governor, and DeSantis wouldn't do so.) Get breaking news in your inbox. What you need to know, as soon as we know it. Sign up Report an error