Where to watch tonight’s Democratic gubernatorial debate

Floridians will have their one chance to compare the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates side by side during Thursday evening’s televised debate.

The debate between U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried will air on NBC and Telemundo’s affiliates from 7-8 p.m. Thursday. The contest will also stream online in English and Spanish through NBC 6.

The debate is slotted for one hour, giving viewers the chance to then flip the channel to watch the prime time Jan. 6 Committee hearing at 8 p.m.

To date, the event is the only scheduled debate between the two leading candidates who hope to unseat Gov. Ron DeSantis in November. While the Primary isn’t until Aug. 23, Monday marks the deadline for Floridians to register to vote in the Primary. Because Florida has closed Primaries, voters will have to register as Democrats to vote in the gubernatorial Primary.

The debate, hosted by NBC 6 and Telemundo 51, was pre-recorded Thursday morning in Miami, giving both campaigns an opportunity to spin the contest before viewers tuned in. Crist’s campaign called their candidate’s showing a “dominating performance” and said Fried “floundered onstage” while trying to “mislead voters about Charlie’s character.”

“Today, Charlie Crist decisively won the Democratic Primary gubernatorial debate where he laid clearly laid out his vision of a Florida for All and kept his focus on Democrats’ true opponent to building a brighter future for Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis,” said Samantha Ramirez, Crist’s communications director.

“Charlie — who continues to hold a commanding lead in the race with over $12 million raised, over 160 endorsers, five major unions backing his candidacy, and polls showing an overwhelming lead in this Primary — distinguished himself as the experienced and tested public leader who will defeat Ron DeSantis in November.

“During the one-hour debate, Charlie boldly outlined his plans to tackle the affordability crisis plaguing Florida, while delivering messages of hope for women, seniors, LGBTQ+ Floridians, and Black, brown, and Hispanic Floridians who have seen themselves mercilessly attacked by Ron DeSantis.”

Fried’s campaign, meanwhile, said her performance showed “she is qualified, proven, and ready to take on Ron DeSantis” and described Crist’s showing as “defensive, condescending and disconnected.”

“The people of Florida can watch and decide, but this debate showed why Charlie has backed out of every single debate but this one,” said Caroline Korba, press secretary for the Fried campaign.

“His record is too embarrassing to defend. His support is a mile wide and an inch deep and only getting shorter. Meanwhile, a wave of support is building for Nikki Fried. The story out of this debate is this: Charlie Crist can’t handle Nikki Fried. And he certainly can’t handle Ron DeSantis.”

Crist, who was first elected to Congress in 2016, is the presumed front-runner in the race. He was previously elected to one term as Governor as a Republican in 2006. However, he left the party in 2010 ahead of an unsuccessful independent bid for the U.S. Senate and registered as a Democrat in 2012. He was also elected Florida’s Attorney General in 2002 as a Republican.

Fried was elected Agriculture Commissioner in 2018 and is the only Florida Democrat to win a statewide race since then-President Barack Obama and then-U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson were re-elected in 2012. She won her race by less than 7,000 votes, less than one-tenth of a percentage point.

In addition to the online stream, the debate will run in English on at least NBC 6 in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, WPTV in West Palm Beach, WESH in Orlando, WFLA in Tampa and St. Petersburg, and NBC 2 in Ft. Myers and Naples. It will also run on First Coast News in Jacksonville at 9 p.m.

The debate will run in Spanish on at least Telemundo 51 in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach; Telemundo 31 in Orlando and Kissimmee; Telemundo 39 in Tampa and St. Petersburg; and WWDT in Ft. Myers and Naples.