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Fast forward three years and Fried is heading into Tuesdays Democratic primary for governor fighting for her political life against Rep. Charlie Crist, the former Republican Florida governor turned independent turned Democrat, who has decades of electoral experience.

Crist has outraised Fried, garnered more endorsements and managed to rally chunks of the traditional Democratic Party coalition to his side, including Floridas teachers union, the former head of the Democratic National Committee, environmental groups and Black faith leaders. Most polls show Crist leading Fried, including one that has Crist up by double digits.

Whoever advances through Tuesdays primary will take on Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in November, and to many Democrats the stakes couldnt be higher. They accuse the governor of near-authoritarian rule and routinely point out that hes more concerned with a potential White House bid in 2024 than helping Florida residents gain access to affordable housing or fix the states crumbling insurance market.

Yet even the most hopeful Democrats are aware of the difficulty they face in November. DeSantis has more than $132.5 million in his campaign war chest and has amassed enormous power in the state Legislature, which routinely approves his priorities. The electoral landscape has also shifted in Republicans favor with the GOP overtaking Democrats in voter registration last fall for the first time in the states modern political history.

I know if I lose, the people lose, Fried said in a recent interview. I know what Im fighting for.

Some of Frieds supporters are perplexed that Crist is viewed as the frontrunner, especially after the Supreme Court in June struck down federal abortion protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade, an issue that helped propel abortion rights to the forefront of campaigns across the nation. Since the ruling, Fried has attempted to energize voters who are incensed by the landmark decision. She has also spent the past three years aggressively dogging DeSantis on issues from pandemic response to his focus on culture war issues.

Nothing against other Democratic candidates, and whoever wins we will all rally around them, but I strongly feel a good Jewish girl from Broward County against someone like Ron DeSantis is something I think would be a great matchup, said state Rep. Kelli Skidmore, a Boca Raton Democrat who has endorsed Fried.

Throughout the primary, 44-year-old Fried has painted the 66-year-old Crist as a Democrat in name only, highlighting positions he held as a Republican that are very much outside modern Democratic orthodoxy. Crist for months tried to stay above the fray, but in the final weeks of the primary started attacking Fried over her ties to the business lobby and other groups long thought of as Republican-leaning, including the states powerful sugar industry. Fried was a marijuana lobbyist before she won her 2018 race to become the states agriculture commissioner.

Ive gone accurate, retorted Crist, when asked last week about his attacks on Fried in the closing days. He then added: Shes decided to do what shes done. Everyone has their own style.

And many top Democrats say Crist won them over with his style and approach hes known as a happy warrior who tries to avoid going negative and is seen as the best candidate to take on DeSantis. Crist has tried to depict himself as someone who will unify Florida while accusing DeSantis of tearing apart the state.

My gut and my experience tells me Charlie has the best shot at blocking DeSantiss extremist agenda, said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the former head of the Democratic National Committee and a longtime Democrat who has known Crist for 30 years.

For many Democrats, beating DeSantis is the top goal.

I think the litmus test for voters in this election is one question and one question only: Who is the best to beat Ron DeSantis, said Fernand Amandi, a Democratic pollster. Nikki was not able to answer that one question effectively, and Charlie has.

Throughout the primary, Crist methodically reached out to key constituencies for their backing, a move his campaign says helped build word of mouth and important support in what will likely be a low turnout race. Just a quarter of Democrats are expected to vote.

While Fried focused early on building up her profile on social media, particularly Twitter, Crist went on a charm offensive. He huddled with key blocks of the Democratic coalition and relied on them heavily when drawing up his policy positions. Crist whose evolution on issues such as abortion and gun control has been scrutinized by Fried took advice from those Democrats to change his stance on issues such as marijuana legalization, which he now favors. As a Republican governor, Crist signed into law bills that cracked down on marijuana grow houses and the sale of some smoking paraphernalia.

The strategy worked, and he picked up crucial endorsements from key lawmakers, such as state Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Black Miami-area Democrat who supported Fried early in the race.

It was a difficult decision for me because I have a relationship with Nikki, I was Team Nikki very early on, Jones said. But as the field opened up and I talked to people in my community, many local elected leaders were Team Charlie, and I found his message was resonating with these people on the ground.

Skidmore, the Broward County state representative backing Fried, said she thinks state Democrats missed an opportunity by not rallying behind someone they worked closely with in Tallahassee over the past few years to fight DeSantis.

There are those who think Crist has a better shot at beating Ron DeSantis, and we all want that, but I am just so bored of white guys running against white guys, Skidmore said. From a personal and professional and an extra X perspective, I just really want to support her.

A major turning point in the primary came when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, sending a jolt of momentum through contests across the country. Both Crist and Fried, like other Democrats, tried to harness the political energy, but Fried was perceived to have received the biggest bump.

The Supreme Courts ruling resonated loudly in Florida, which just months earlier had approved a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest.

After Roe v. Wade, white women and suburban women who I talk to and thought would be in Charlies camp all of a sudden started to take a look at Nikki, said Brice Barnes, a Florida Democratic fundraiser. I do think after Roe v. Wade that you had women asking what does this mean for my daughter?

One of Frieds main lines of attack throughout the primary was Crists anti-abortion rights position while he was a Republican. As late as 2010, when making an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate, Crist said he supported pro-life legislative efforts. He has largely brushed off questions about his changing stance on the issue during the 2022 midterms and relied on the support of some of the states most vocal abortion-rights advocates, including state Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat who previously worked for Planned Parenthood, and former Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who made her own failed bid for governor in 2010.

Sink said she was wary of Crists record as a Republican even after he became a Democrat. But she said over the years Crist has won over many Democrats, which she says is why Frieds attacks on Crist over abortion rights and his having appointed conservative justices to the Florida Supreme Court as governor have not stuck.

In the race, he has gotten tangled up in the pro-life thing, and I appreciate that and acknowledge when he first became a Democrat I was skeptical and of the opinion you have to prove to me you can be a good Democrat, Sink said. But now he has been a Democrat so long, and has been 100 percent pro-choice over that time, that I think most Democrats are comfortable with him.

Sinks support of Crist over Fried is notable because she co-founded Ruths List Florida, a group that recruits and trains female political candidates who support abortion rights. Sink said she also supports Crist partly because his campaign seemed more viable, and she had a good working relationship with Crist when she served as the states chief financial officer during his one term as governor.

We have a long-standing relationship, and he has just always been very responsive to me, she said. I just did not develop that kind of personal relationship, even from a policy standpoint, with Nikki. That is what swayed me. I knew he was going to be able to build that big coalition needed.

Crists three decades in Florida politics, most spent as a Republican, brought him name recognition and a fundraising pipeline. But some Democrats see his perceived frontrunner status as evidence Fried didnt do enough to build a political network, which could have helped her create goodwill within the party and close the primary field.

Frieds campaign insists it can pull off an upset on Tuesday and have drained bank accounts in a frenzied push in the final moments. Some of those affiliated with Frieds campaign worked on Andrew Gillums 2018 bid for governor, when he surged in the closing week to score an upset in the Democratic primary. Gillum lost to DeSantis by about 35,000 votes.

Fried believes money will flow into her campaign on Aug. 24 if she wins the primary because her victory will be a shot in the arm that will attract national money and attention, she said in an interview at a recent campaign event. Fried also contended amid loud pushback from the Crist campaign that national donors will abandon the state if Crist wins.

During a campaign stop in Tallahassee last week, Fried said she had a lot more to lose than she did when she scored her upset win in 2018 to become the only Democrat elected to statewide office.

But she also acknowledged that she was surprised that Crist wound up being her primary opponent.

I didnt imagine in a million years that he would think that this would be a good time for him to re-run for governor. I dont know why hes in this race, she said in the interview. You talk to his own people, they dont think he can win in November. I have no idea why hes here. I know weve got a fighting chance.

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She was Florida Dems' 'new hope.' Then a veteran pol stepped between her and DeSantis. - POLITICO

Alaskas special election for its lone U.S. House seat is still too early to call, but initial returns show Democratic candidate Mary Peltola leading the field. If she is elected, Democrats will have flipped a seat held by the late GOP Rep. Don Young for nearly 50 years, most of Alaskas history as a state.

SENATE DEMOCRATS EYE SEPTEMBER VOTE TO CODIFY SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

But Peltola told the Washington Examiner she hopes to carry on Youngs legacy of bipartisanship.

Don Young worked in a very bipartisan way, she said. He had more seniority than any other member of the House has ever had, and he welcomed every single congressman into their position, personally. So, he had a very long history of bipartisanship, and I want to emulate that, and I want to emulate his hard work on constituent issues.

Peltola praised Young for his work bringing critical infrastructure to our new state that has a lot of really challenging terrain.

It's very hard to build infrastructure and maintain infrastructure in Alaska, and he was so good at that, he really transformed the airports in Alaska to be much more safe than they had been, Peltola said. His role on Resources and Transportation made all the difference for our growing state. So, I think it will mean a lot to Democrats, if a Democrat is elected, but I just really want to continue his legacy of fighting for all Alaskans.

The special election to fill the seat for the remainder of Youngs term following his unexpected death in March is a test case for the Frontier States new voting system, which allows four candidates to advance from a primary election, in which dozens of candidates competed in a so-called jungle primary on one ballot, with the top four vote-getters advancing to another round.

Early returns show Peltola leading a field that also includes Republicans such as ex-Gov. Sarah Palin and businessman Nick Begich III, who is from a prominent family of Alaska Democrats. Independent candidate Al Gross, who also advanced from the primary, said shortly thereafter that he would withdraw from both the special and general elections.

Peltola led Palin 38% to 32%, with 82% of the votes counted as of Friday evening. But regardless of who wins the special election to finish Youngs term, Peltola, Palin, and Begich will compete in November, as will a fourth, yet-to-be-determined candidate.

So, who is Peltola, the front-runner to flip Alaskas only House seat?

Peltola told the Washington Examiner she grew up helping her fathers salmon fishing business from the time she was about 6 years old.

He was very, very cheap and didn't want to hire a real crew member, she joked.

Peltola began her career as a herring and salmon technician for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game before running for the state legislature, mounting an unsuccessful bid at 22. Two years later, after she was married and expecting a child, she won a seat in the statehouse, where she remained for 10 years.

During her time in the legislature, Peltola said, she was a member of and then a chair for the Bush Caucus, a bipartisan group of legislators from rural parts of the state, and she enjoyed the across-the-aisle cooperation they shared.

It was a different era, the 1900s, she quipped. There was so much more civility and cooperation at that time.

She later joined the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission to protect salmon runs in the state. Peltola and her husband Gene have seven children and two grandchildren.

Unless the top vote-getter in the U.S. House race has more than 50% of the vote once all initial ballots are counted which does not appear to be the case in this race, according to the initial returns the elections division will then count voters' ranked choices. The last-place candidate is then eliminated, with his or her voters subsequent choices going toward their next choice's tally. The process goes on for as many rounds as it takes until one candidate reaches a threshold of 50% plus one vote and is declared the winner.

Under state law, Alaskas Division of Elections must count every ballot before it begins tabulating ranked votes. The state permits ballots mailed from overseas voters to be accepted until Aug. 31 as long as they are postmarked by Election Day, so the candidates and the state must wait until then to know who will fill Youngs seat for the remainder of his term.

Peltola seemed undeterred by the prospect of waiting weeks for official results and offered praise for her Republican rivals, saying she had a friendly relationship with both, especially Palin, whom she knew during her time in the legislature.

Sarah was governor the two years that coincided with my last two years in the state House, and we happened to be pregnant at the same time with our now 14-year-olds, Peltola said.

The states ranked-choice voting process has been criticized in some quarters as messy and confusing for voters, but Peltola offered praise for it, saying it opens new avenues of discussion between voters and candidates across party lines and can help reduce partisanship.

I'm very optimistic because these closed party primaries have led to a situation where Republicans are trying to out-Republican each other, and we end up with candidates who are very, very extreme, and sometimes even fringe, who are then representing people who are mostly very middle of the road, she said.

Peltola said, People are now conditioned to expect it to be ugly, and it doesnt have to be that way.

At an event featuring all three candidates, Peltola said she spoke with voters bearing Palin or Begich signs, asking them to consider ranking her as their second choice.

If I see someone with a Sarah sign or a Nick sign, I can certainly understand why that's their first choice. And I'm so hopeful that they would consider me as their second choice. And I think they were just surprised to see somebody say, Hey, I get it, thats a great person, but I'm not so bad either.

As the ranked choices are tabulated, it is those second choices that could make all the difference.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Dave Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report said this week Peltola has a legitimate shot to win under the new ranked-choice system.

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Alaska Democrat hopes to carry on Don Youngs legacy of bipartisanship - Washington Examiner

Sara Rodriguez,an Assembly representative in the state Legislature, capturedthe Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor after romping to victory in the Democratic primary.

Rodriguez will be campaigning alongside incumbent Gov. Tony Evers to fend off a challenge from construction executive Tim Michels this fall.

Here is a look at Rodriguez, a Democrat from Brookfield, as voters head into the general election.

Rodriguez was first elected to the Legislature in 2020, flipping a Republican-held district in the suburbs of Milwaukee and narrowly defeating four-term Republican incumbent Rob Hutton by just over 700 votes.

Before entering electoral politics, Rodriguez worked in the health care sector as a registered nurse and held a variety of positionsincludingthe principal of a health care consulting firm, the vice president of clinical services at Honeywell Life Care Solutions and a Centers for Disease Control epidemic intelligence officer.

Rodriguez, 47, is from Brookfield where she attended high school and now lives with her husband and two children. She graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University and earned a masters in nursing from Johns Hopkins University.

Rodriguez is a relative newcomer to the Legislature but has sponsored legislation to require cloth face coverings in certain settings, implement ranked choice voting in Wisconsin, facilitate automatic voter registration and establish a student loan repayment program.

Rodriguez has also been a vocal advocate for expanding access to abortion and campaigned on addressing health care staffing shortages in Wisconsin.

When she announced her candidacy, Rodriguez said:"I can be a really good partner to Gov. Evers in something as large and as complicated as the Wisconsin state government, but most importantly, public health is my passion."

Rodriguez said that as lieutenant governorshe would bring experience as a nurse and public health professional, "working in diverse communities to make sure that we can create environments where people can succeed."

Democratic Party spokeswoman Hannah Menchhoff said:As a nurse and as a public health professional, Rep. Rodriguez brings valuable experience to the statewide election. When we talk about doing the right thing for Wisconsinites, its people like Rep. Rodriguez who have dedicated themselves to making Wisconsin a better place to live and work.

"By flipping a Republican-held seat in 2020, she has also proven her ability to connect with voters and win tough races. We are excited to have Rep. Rodriguez on the ticket and know her campaign will only make the ticket even stronger," she added.

Rodriguez was elected to the Legislature two years ago by a slim margin but won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in a 245,000-vote landslide.

Rodriguez can be reached at her Madison office by calling 608-267-9836 or emailing rep.SRodriguez@legis.wisconsin.gov.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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What you need to know about Sara Rodriguez, the lieutenant governor nominee running with incumbent Tony Evers - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

What in Gods green earth has happened to the North Dakota Republican Party? The North Dakota GOP the party of Milton Young and Mark Andrews. The party of civilized conservatives.

Now that the primaries are over, take a look at the candidates running for offices on the Republican ballot. Candidates who were at the January 6th insurrection, saying they should have done more; Candidates who were not at the insurrection but advocated for it and are now are calling for a civil war.

My mother would say, "Why, theyve fallen off their rockers. Civilized North Dakotan Republicans, for goodness sake, you need to cross over and vote Democrat.

As I have stated before Im a Democrat. My great-grandfather, who homesteaded the farm I live on, was a follower of William Jennings Bryon. My grandfather was a member of the Non Partisan League, later joining the North Dakota Democratic NPL Party. My father served on the board of the local Farmers Union elevator and was a member of the ND Democrat NPL Party. My grandfather told me how wonderful it was when the REA, Rural Electric Association, brought electricity to the farm and he could milk cows at night with light from an electric light in the barn instead of a kerosene lamp by his milk stool. You have Republicans that would now scream thats a socialistic program and vote to block it.

My other grandfather, who homesteaded in western Benson County, told me how great it was when the Farmers Union Central Exchange started a coop program to market cattle for members. He didnt have to ride the Soo Line Railroad cattle car to St. Paul to market his cattle, another program some current Republicans would scream socialistic.

I have acquaintances who are farmers who tell me theyre no Socialistic Democrat. But they participate and receive payment from one of the largest socialistic programs in the world-Federal Crop Insurance. I mean, youre talking a Norway- and Sweden-type program. They cry it should be doing more.

North Dakota Republicans, civilized conservatives, you need to cross over and vote Democrat until you can rid your party of these extremists.

Collin Evenson lives in Devils Lake, N.D.

This letter does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Forum's editorial board nor Forum ownership.

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Letter: It's time to vote Democrat until Republicans can rid their party of extremists - INFORUM

To me, being a conservative Republican means you value pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, lower taxes, and limited government. These are beliefs that Ive held my whole life, and my vote has reflected that in every election. It is because of those values that I voted for Donald Trump both times. In fact, in at least the last 25 years, Ive never voted for a single Democrat in a partisan race.Until this one.I did not vote for Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in 2016. I did support Adam Laxalt in his bids for attorney general and governor respectively. However, in this election, I will vote to re-elect Cortez Masto.Now, Im not switching my party affiliation, and I continue to be a proud conservative. And though Catherine and I may disagree on a number of issues, I know one thing for sure: Catherine is a proud Nevadan, and cares about the success of our state. Catherine always has Nevadans best interests top of mind. In my experience, Catherine has a strong desire to support rural counties in Nevada. She listens to leadership and constituents alike to find solutions. Thats not something I can say about the other candidate in this race.I served on the Lyon County Commission for eight years and spent three years as its chairman. During that time, I worked closely with Catherine, and was very impressed with the care she puts into her work, especially when it comes to rural Nevada.Some politicians I worked with were more interested in talking about themselves than hearing about what we need in the rural communities. Catherine is the exact opposite. She sits down with us individually, whether we voted for her or not, takes time to listen to our unique challenges, and then she puts in the work to address them.With the Navy looking to expand Naval Air Station Fallon, Catherine comes into the community and listens to everyones perspective so she can prioritize the needs of the people out here. She blocked the initial proposal for the expansion because it didnt represent all local stakeholders fairly, and she has made sure to push the Navy to get everyone to collaborate on a new proposal, including the Tribes, ranchers, sportsmen and officials in the surrounding counties. Shes always going to look for the best outcome for Nevada and our national security.Catherine doesnt just make herself available to us when we have specific projects she is focused on. In my experience, when I would reach out to Catherine or her team for assistance or support, my calls were answered, and the needs of Lyon County were given attention. In addition, she would provide whatever resources we needed to deliver for our community.I spent the last 15 years focused on serving Lyon County and the best interests of rural communities in Nevada. I have done so while being guided by my conservative principles. Ultimately my vote is given to whom I think will do their best to serve my community and my state party affiliation aside. I know that we can count on Cortez Masto to deliver for us in Lyon County as well as in Nevada. I know this because I have witnessed her diligent work for those regardless of party affiliation. For that reason, Catherine will receive my vote this November.Bob Hastings was a Lyon County commissioner from 2013 to 2021.

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Bob Hastings: Why I'm voting for a Democrat for the first time in over 25 years - Nevada Appeal