Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Gov. Ron DeSantis is starting to pull away in his 2022 reelection campaign. At least among bettors.
The incumbent Republican’s odds to win a second term have recovered in recent months at the expense of Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist. According to US-Bookies.com, DeSantis had an 82% chance to win reelection a year from now, while Crist had slipped into third place at 10%, putting him a couple of tenths of a point behind Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.
That’s a shift from September, when DeSantis stood a 75% chance to win to Crist’s 18%. Fried’s odds have worsened too, though her dip was less pronounced — US-Bookies gave her an implied probability of 11% in September.
The oddsmaker noted that the changing tides came in spite of Crist’s unveiling a criminal justice reform package that includes legalizing recreational cannabis.
“Last month, Charlie Crist said he’d legalize marijuana if elected Governor, but that hasn’t helped improve his odds,” a US-Bookies spokesperson said. “Meanwhile, Ron DeSantis has established himself as an even stronger favorite to win.”
Bettors are giving the other Democrat in the running, Sen. Annette Taddeo, a sliver of a chance — she debuted with 100/1 odds, which works out to about 1%.
“Along with DeSantis’ odds improving, the rest of the field’s odds have been trending negatively,” a US-Bookies spokesperson said. “This paints an even more positive picture for the Republican incumbent, as none of the challengers pose any threat according to the odds.”
Evening Reads
“How did a Parents’ Bill of Rights turn into a mask mandate controversy in FL schools?” via Danielle J. Brown of the Florida Phoenix
“Big Florida businesses urged to continue plans to install COVID-19 vaccine mandate” via David Lyons of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“Inflation in the economy today is different. Here are four charts that can explain why.” via Alyssa Fowers and Rachel Siegel of The Washington Post
“Florida caught in ‘crossfire’ of Ron DeSantis and Joe Biden vaccine debate” via Kirby Wilson of the Tampa Bay Times
“The one Thanksgiving necessity America forgot to stock” via Katherine J. Wu of The Atlantic
“Ahead of Tuesday deadline, Army Corps of Engineers touts LOSOM plan despite concerns” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics
“Lawmakers aim to expedite professional license applications for military spouses” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics
“Legislative dogfight shaping up again to regulate pet sales” via Peter Schorsch and Drew Wilson of Florida Politics
“Gov. DeSantis touts education budget proposals at conservative charter school” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Jason Mariner’s campaign affirms congressional eligibility” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“15,000 people are on Orlando’s housing voucher waitlist. Build Back Better could change that.” via Caroline Glenn of the Orlando Sentinel
Quote of the Day
“When I became Governor, the average minimum salary was around $40,000. Now it’s close to $47,000. And with our proposal, we’re going to be in a really, really good spot. Certainly, one of the top 10 in the country, and we may even be in the top five in the country.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis, announcing his education spending plan.
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