DeSantis Rips Crist In Scorching Debate, Hits Dem For 'Soliciting Campaign Contributions From Storm Victims’

DeSantis Rips Crist In Scorching Debate, Hits Dem For 'Soliciting Campaign Contributions From Storm Victims’


Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted his Democratic rival, Rep. Charlie Crist, during a fiery debate on Monday in which the Republican leader castigated the former one-term governor for trying to raise campaign funds from victims of Hurricane Ian.

The debate was initially scheduled for Oct. 12, but it was postponed due to the storm. It also comes as DeSantis’ lead is widening over Crist after outspending him on the campaign trail.

To that point, Crist hit DeSantis over his response to the storm, even though President Joe Biden himself praised the governor. “What the governor’s done is pretty remarkable,” Biden said earlier this month. “I think he’s done a good job.”

“Look, I’m proud that we had 42,000 linemen staged, ready to go, an unprecedented array of first responders,” DeSantis said. “We were able to get in in a record time, effectuate thousands of rescues, get the power back on for millions of people in record time.

“And when the bridges got wiped out in Pine Island and in Sanibel, people thought those islands were going to be severed from the mainland for six months to a year, we did the Pine Island Restoration in three days and we did the Sanibel causeway restoration in two weeks,” DeSantis continued. “Now those islands have the ability to recover.”

He then focused on Crist’s post-storm activities.

“You know what he was doing during this? He was hiding out in Puerto Rico,” DeSantis said. “He wasn’t helping his community here. And then, when he got back, what did he do? His campaign was soliciting campaign contributions from storm victims. That is unacceptable, and that’s not what a leader would do in a time of despair.”

DeSantis also pushed back on potential 2024 presidential aspirations.

“Well, listen, I know that Charlie’s interested in talking about 2024 and Joe Biden, but I just want to make things very, very clear the only worn-out old donkey I’m looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist,” DeSantis shot back.

Last month, reports noted that DeSantis had raised an astounding $177 million, more than any other governor in the nation’s history.

The Daily Wire noted:

Open Secrets reported that a review of state campaign finance records showed DeSantis’ re-election campaign has raised more than $31.4 million since January 2021, while DeSantis’ state-level PAC, Friends of Ron DeSantis, has raised $146 million since January 2019.

DeSantis’ massive political war chest has likely grown since he sent 50 illegal immigrants to the Martha’s Vineyard, a wealthy leftist enclave, last week, sparking left-wing outrage as he drew attention to President Joe Biden’s border crisis.


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