Florida gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried targets Ron DeSantis in Gainesville visit

One of Gov. Ron DeSantis' Democratic challengers made a pit stop in Gainesville Thursday to shake hands with locals and answer questions on how she will help the region if elected.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried started her morning by stopping by the Alachua County Library District Millhopper Branch — where early voting began on Aug. 13 — for a meet and greet with supporters that mostly included local candidates for mayor, city commission and school board.

Her messaging on abortion rights and education appeared to resonate with locals.

“(DeSantis) is dividing our state, taking away women’s rights, making it harder for people to vote, banning books and the list goes on and on,” said Fried, 44. “I had no choice but to stand up and fight back.”

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Fried’s visit follows an appearance from her Democratic primary challenger, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, at the Souls to the Polls event held Sunday in Gainesville.

Crist, formerly a Republican, served as Florida governor from 2007 to 2011 and has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Florida's 13th congressional district since 2017.

The winner of the primary will face off against DeSantis on the November ballot, an uphill battle for either Democrat.

A new poll by the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida shows Fried ahead of Crist by a slim margin, but still trailing DeSantis by seven points.

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Nevertheless, Fried appears to be gaining ground in the primary as the same poll back in February showed Crist leading Fried.

“Fried seems to have reversed the eight-point lead that Crist had when we asked registered Democrats about vote choice in February,” said Dr. Michael Binder, PORL faculty director and professor of political science at the University of North Florida. “It’s possible that the overturning of Roe v. Wade changed the make-up of this race, and has particularly energized women that are almost 20 points more likely to vote for her.

Nikki Fried wants to stop culture wars

If elected, Fried said Thursday that her main objective would be to stop the culture wars.

“People are tired, people are exhausted,” she said. “They just want government to work and get out of their lives. And what (DeSantis) has done is overstepping every single day."

Fried went on to note DeSantis’ recent removal of Hillsborough County state attorney, Andrew Warren, a Gainesville native. Warren has since filed a lawsuit against the governor.

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Fried has served as the state's agricultural commissioner since 2019, an agency, she says, that has a $1.9 billion budget, 4,600 employees and 19 divisions that work with local governments throughout the state.

“All of those qualifications help me to become a governor who understands the moving parts of our government, but also knowing how to work with people and not against them,” she said.

Javon Harris is a local government and social justice reporter for The Gainesville Sun. He can be reached by email at jlharris@gannett.com or on Twitter @JavonLHarris_JD.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Nikki Fried campaigns in Gainesville in Florida governor race