U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried are facing off in the "Decision 2022: Florida Democratic Gubernatorial Debate" Thursday.
The hour-long debate is presented by NBC 6 and Telemundo 51, and airs at 7 p.m. on both channels, both stations’ multiple digital platforms and select NBC and Telemundo stations across Florida. Click here for full list of stations.
The debate will be moderated by bilingual journalists NBC 6 Anchor Jackie Nespral and Telemundo 51 Senior Political Reporter Marilys Llanos.
Crist and Fried are in a competitive primary for the Democratic nomination to face Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who's running for a second term.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Florida's Primary is taking place on August 23.
Fried is currently the only Democrat elected to a statewide office. Since being elected in 2018, Fried has been a major advocate of gun legislation as well as legalization of marijuana.
In 2020, Fried took on a national profile as she was one of the keynote speakers at the Democratic National Convention.
Local
Prior to being elected as Agriculture Commissioner, the 44-year-old spent years as a lawyer but then shifted to work as a lobbyist for Walt Disney World, the marijuana industry, and the Broward County School Board.
Fried is a Miami native and a graduate of the University of Florida.
Meanwhile Crist, who previously ran the state, wants his old job back at the governor's mansion.
Crist first won the governor's race in 2006, as a Republican, but chose to not run for a second term in 2010. He then went on to lose a U.S. Senate bid as an Independent, and then he ran for governor in 2014 as a Democrat and lost.
The 65-year-old has held multiple offices before and is currently a congressman representing the St. Petersburg area.
Crist has been a state senator, state's education commissioner, and attorney general, and before entering public life, he was a lawyer.
Crist is a graduate of Florida State University and Samford University’s law school.
