Democratic Showdowns, Progressive Challengers Headline Florida, New York Primary
A series of high-profile contests between Democrats take place on Tuesday as voters head to the polls for primaries in Florida and New York. In Florida, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is facing incumbent Rep. Charlie Crist in the Democratic gubernatorial primary to determine who will take on Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the November general election. Most polls show Crist, a Republican-turned-Democrat who once served as Florida governor while still a GOP member, ahead of Fried in a tight race that has seen sharp attacks from both sides. In New York, longtime Democratic congressmen Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney are forced to compete for a single seat in New York’s newly drawn 12th Congressional District after their respective New York districts were combined in the state’s redistricting process after 2020 census. Both have served in Congress since the early 1990s and face a challenge from a third Democrat, 38-year-old attorney Suraj Patel, who is calling for “generational change” and a new approach to representing the district instead of the “establishment- quo.” Polls show Nadler leading the race, with Maloney in second and Patel in third, though each has consistently received support from a large share of respondents. Also in New York, incumbent Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney faces a challenge from the left in state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi in the state’s 17th Congressional District. Biaggi, a supporter of the “Defund the Police” movement, has received endorsements from “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and former far-left 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon. Recent polls have shown Maloney, who currently represents the 18th Congressional District and is considered a moderate Democrat, leading Biaggi by double digits. However, the latter appears to be hoping for a similar upset to that of Ocasio-Cortez over then-Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley in 2018. To read more from Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie, click here.
