DeSantis vs Crist: What channel and time is Florida Midterms debate?
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his Democratic challenger Charlie Crist are squaring off in their first and only televised debate before voters head to the polls next month.
On Monday 24 October at 7pm EST, the pair of gubernatorial candidates will be taking the podium. The timing of the debate arrives as early voting in the Sunshine State has opened up and two weeks out from 8 November, when people across the state and country will be casting votes in dozens of midterm races that will determine whether Democrats or Republicans retain or win control of the House and/or the Senate.
The debate will serve as an important opportunity for the trailing Mr Crist, who served as Republican governor in the state from 2007 to 2011 before joining the Democratic party in 2012. He’ll likely press Mr DeSantis on platform issues such as the state’s 15-week abortion ban.
For Mr DeSantis, the debate will be a ripe opportunity to amplify his government’s response to Hurricane Ian, with the damage done to the state’s already struggling property insurance market likely to be a topic of top concern throughout the debate.
I am working with the Legislature to call a special session to provide permanent property tax relief for storm victims who lost their homes.
The session will also provide any necessary appropriations for SWFL as well as further reforms to the property insurance market. pic.twitter.com/S23QskiNhR— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 20, 2022
Mr DeSantis has outpaced Mr Crist in fundraising efforts for the gubernatorial race, with the most recent campaign filings showing that the Florida governor has raised more than $3.68m between 8 October and 14 October. The former governor has raked in just $1.26m, Politico reported. The total includes money raised for campaign accounts and political committees controlled by the candidates.
Good morning, Florida!
Who’s ready to watch me hold Ron DeSantis accountable on the debate stage tonight?— Charlie Crist (@CharlieCrist) October 24, 2022
To tune in to the debate, viewers can watch on local TV channels across the state, including: Pensacola-Fort Walton Beach, WEAR-TV Channel 3; Tallahassee, WTWC-TV Channel 40; Gainesville, WGFL-TV Channel 28; Panama City, WMMB-TV Channel 13; Tampa-St. Petersburg, WFLA-TV Channel 8; Jacksonville, WJAX-TV Channel 19 and WFOX-TV Channel 14; Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, WFTV-TV Channel 9; Miami-Fort Lauderdale, WFOR-TV Channel 4; and Fort Myers-Naples, WBBH-TV Channel 20.
For other viewers, you can catch commentary on the broadcast on most mainstream news outlets with some running live streams of the event on their website, such as CBS, and their respective YouTube channels. The Independent will be liveblogging the debate for all the latest updates from the showdown between the pair of nominees for the governor’s mansion in Florida.
