Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nikki-fried" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nikki Fried</a> took aim at Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) after he sat down for an interview with British television host Piers Morgan for his show, &#8220;Piers Morgan Uncensored.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-turn-on-desantis-challenger-for-daring-to-celebrate-mask-free-flight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fried</a> lost the 2022 Democratic nomination to ex-Republican Charlie Crist — who then lost the gubernatorial race to DeSantis in a blowout — but she took a moment on Tuesday to mock DeSantis for doing the interview in the first place, suggesting that he had only done it to resuscitate a flagging campaign.
&#8220;Ron DeSantis retreated to a flipping @piersmorgan interview to try to save his failing campaign,&#8221; Fried tweeted. &#8220;Bahahahahahahaa. Hahahahahahahaa. Bahahahahahahah.&#8221;
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Ron DeSantis retreated to a flipping <a href="https://twitter.com/piersmorgan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@piersmorgan</a> interview to try to save his failing campaign.
Bahahahahahahaa. Hahahahahahahaa. Bahahahahahahah.
&mdash; Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiFried/status/1638296691584430082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Morgan fired right back at Fried, pointing out the fact that the state party she chairs had just lost — and lost big — to the man she was attempting to ridicule.
&#8220;No disrespect but if I were a Florida Democrat, I&#8217;d probably avoid talking about failing campaigns when it comes to a guy who just flatlined you &#8230;&#8221; Morgan tweeted in response.
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No disrespect but if I were a Florida Democrat, I’d probably avoid talking about failing campaigns when it comes to a guy who just flatlined you…. <a href="https://t.co/2TBZqxYI9P">https://t.co/2TBZqxYI9P</a>
&mdash; Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) <a href="https://twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/1638302822193143809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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DeSantis has not even officially declared his intention to seek the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination — although a number of sources have indicated that he is likely to do so — but he hinted during the interview that he might be <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/ron-desantis-i-have-what-it-takes-to-be-president-and-i-can-beat-biden-i-wouldve-fired-fauci/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ready to run</a> and win against President Joe Biden.
&#8220;If I were to run, I’m running against Biden, Like we [he and Trump] are competing for the Republican [nomination], potentially, I get that, but ultimately, you know, the guy I’m gonna focus on is Biden because I think he’s failed the country. I think the country wants a change. I think they want a fresh start and a new direction and so we’ll be very vocal about that. I spent a lot of time in Florida fighting back,&#8221; DeSantis told Morgan.
DeSantis also made it clear that he believed he&#8217;d be able to defeat Biden in a presidential race.
Morgan previewed the interview in an <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/21/ron-desantis-opens-fire-on-trumps-character-chaotic-style/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">op-ed</a>, saying it was &#8220;clear that the governor has had enough of Trump’s constant baiting and felt ready to take him on.&#8221;
Ryan Saavedra contributed to this report.

Nikki Fried Campaigns For Governor Of Florida On Eve Of Primary Election

Nikki Fried Takes Aim At Ron DeSantis. Piers Morgan Levels Her.

'No Disrespect ...': Nikki Fried Takes Aim At Ron DeSantis — And Piers Morgan Levels Her

Elections

Joe Biden

Nikki Fried

Piers Morgan

Ron DeSantis

U.S.

Florida Democrats elected former agriculture commissioner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nikki-fried" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nikki Fried</a> to be their next party chair in the state after they were blown out across the board in historic fashion during last year&#8217;s midterm elections.
Fried, a failed gubernatorial candidate who could not even win her primary race, said after being elected to the role, “You better believe we are going to take it to Ron DeSantis every damn day.”
DeSantis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conservatives-political-analysts-weigh-in-following-midterm-elections-the-desantis-era-has-begun" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crushed</a> the expectations of even his staunchest allies, winning by more than 1.5 million votes in a 19.4-point margin over Democrat Charlie Crist for the state’s governorship.
DeSantis won 62 of Florida’s 67 counties, including 59 counties by double digits. DeSantis won Miami-Dade County, the largest county in the state and a Democrat stronghold, by 11 points. He won Palm Beach County, the third largest county in the state and another Democrat stronghold, by three points.
The win by the 44-year-old governor was felt down-ballot by Republicans who also crushed their opponents. The historic election is the reason why Republicans now control the U.S. House of Representatives and why Republicans now have supermajorities in the Florida state House and Senate.
&#8220;The Florida Democratic Party congratulates @NikkiFried on being elected to lead our party as the new Chair,&#8221; the Florida Democrats wrote on Twitter. &#8220;We look forward to working together to elect Democrats up and down the ballot to deliver for Floridians.&#8221;
Top DeSantis aide Christina Pushaw responded to the tweet with a map showing Republicans&#8217; dominance in the state. &#8220;Aww congrats Nikki!&#8221; Pushaw wrote.
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Aww congrats Nikki! <a href="https://t.co/7Iab5oUXah">pic.twitter.com/7Iab5oUXah</a>
&mdash; Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1629602221905117191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Hell yeah,&#8221; conservative commentator David Reaboi tweeted.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Ziegler tweeted, &#8220;At this point, I may need to discuss with our staff the need to list all activity conducted by the @FlaDems as an in-kind to the @FloridaGOP.&#8221;
The popular conservative Twitter account AG responded, &#8220;I’ve noticed this trend where state parties that are failing and focused on only attracting a dwindling base have a tendency to double down instead of looking to adjust. Republicans are doing it in AZ, MI etc and now you see FL Dems following suit.&#8221;
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I’ve noticed this trend where state parties that are failing and focused on only attracting a dwindling base have a tendency to double down instead of looking to adjust. Republicans are doing it in AZ, MI etc and now you see FL Dems following suit. <a href="https://t.co/su8HMNrgds">https://t.co/su8HMNrgds</a>
&mdash; AG (@AGHamilton29) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGHamilton29/status/1629586310993174528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Got her doors absolutely blown off in a primary by a guy who got his doors absolutely blown off in a general,&#8221; said former Republican Governors Association Communications Director Jesse Hunt in reference to Fried losing her primary race to Crist. &#8220;But sure, I love this for FL Dems.&#8221;
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Now they’re guaranteed to never win anything in Florida again. <a href="https://t.co/oCIFDgdqaO">https://t.co/oCIFDgdqaO</a> <a href="https://t.co/SBgu2GnYgo">pic.twitter.com/SBgu2GnYgo</a>
&mdash; Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1629582811811422208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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US-NEWS-FLA-DEMOCRATS-CHAIR-2-OS

Conservatives Cheer Over Who Democrats Just Elected To Be The Next Party Chair In Florida: ‘Hell Yeah’

Conservatives Cheer Over Who Democrats Just Elected To Be The Next Party Chair In Florida: 'Hell Yeah'

Democratic Party

Florida

Politics

A new lawsuit accuses both Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration of punishing low-income children attending Christian schools by threatening to take away the children&#8217;s lunches if the school does not adhere to leftist ideological principles, including on gender identity.
Grant Park Christian Academy is a school that serves Tampa, Florida&#8217;s low-income minority students. These students benefit from free meals from the school&#8217;s lunch program — perhaps the only food they eat all day, says the lawsuit, filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of Faith Action Ministry Alliance and Grant Park Christian Academy. But under new Title IX interpretations on gender identity, Grant Park Christian Academy may no longer be able to feed these children.
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&#8220;That choice that they are giving us [is] either to comply with this ideology and alter the course of our operations and to violate our own core principles and beliefs, or lose out on the nutrition for the children, lose out on the meals,&#8221; Pastor Alfred Johnson, the founder of Faith Action Ministry Alliance, said in a Wednesday phone interview with The Daily Wire.
&#8220;This is not just pertaining to Grant Park Christian Academy,&#8221; Johnson added. &#8220;You&#8217;re dealing with tens of thousands of students who are going to be impacted by this. Some of these schools are not even aware of how Title IX has been reinterpreted. And so many of them are going to be in violation, probably without even knowing about it.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_415902" style="width: 673px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415902" class="wp-image-415902 " src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Grant-park-picture-entrance-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="663" height="497" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/Grant-park-picture-entrance-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/Grant-park-picture-entrance-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/Grant-park-picture-entrance-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/Grant-park-picture-entrance-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/Grant-park-picture-entrance-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 663px) 100vw, 663px" />Photo courtesy of Grant Park Christian Academy.</div>
The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida against both the Biden administration and Fried, the state agriculture commissioner running for governor. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has promised that it will interpret “the prohibition on discrimination based on sex found in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 … to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” This would mean that schools that do not allow biological males in girl’s sports, girl’s locker rooms, or girl’s restrooms would be considered to be discriminating against students based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
State and local agencies, as well as program operators and sponsors receiving funds from FNS will be required to “investigate allegations of discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation,” the USDA said, and these organizations must update their policies and signage to “include prohibitions against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.”
Since Grant Park Christian Academy receives funding to pay for school lunches through the Department of Agriculture and through the National School Lunch Program (administered by Fried), the school&#8217;s ability to feed the children is at stake, the lawsuit alleges.
The suit also emphasizes that Grant Park Christian Academy never excludes or discriminates against students because of sex, but due to the Biden administration&#8217;s re-defining of the word, Fried is &#8220;poised to block Grant Park Christian Academy’s funding for school lunches this year.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_415903" style="width: 669px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415903" class="wp-image-415903 " src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/LunchProgram.png" alt="" width="659" height="439" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/LunchProgram.png 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/LunchProgram-300x200.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/LunchProgram-864x576.png 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/LunchProgram-768x512.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px" />Photo courtesy of Grant Park Christian Academy.</div>
&#8220;If Grant Park Christian Academy complies with the new school lunch mandate, it will suffer harms to its educational mission, free speech, and religious exercise,&#8221; the lawsuit says.
&#8220;It will no longer be able to maintain sex-separated restrooms for boys and girls based on their biological differences; to maintain sex-specific dress code and uniform policies, where, for example, only female students are permitted to wear skorts; to draw its workforce from among those who share and live out its religious convictions; and to refrain from using pronouns that do not correspond to biological sex,&#8221; the suit adds.
When Grant Park Christian Academy told state officials that the lunch mandate is &#8220;not based on an accurate understanding of the law&#8221; and emphasized that regardless, there is a religious exemption to Title IX, Fried’s office allegedly told the school that participating schools &#8220;must comply&#8221; or forgo the lunch program.
&#8220;In short,&#8221; the suit said, &#8220;the Biden Administration and Commissioner Fried’s push to redefine sex in federal law has now reached the point where they will deny school lunches to underprivileged students, just because their school will not violate their religious beliefs.&#8221;
&#8220;Schoolchildren should not have to pay the price for federal and state officials’ misplaced and unlawful agenda,&#8221; the litigation continues. &#8220;As other courts have held, government officials act unlawfully when they seek to rewrite Title IX through an arbitrary rule without public participation and oversight—and with no thought to the chaos and confusion.&#8221;
ADF Legal Counsel Erica Steinmiller-Perdomo told The Daily Wire in a Wednesday phone interview that the Biden administration is asking the school to &#8220;choose between violating its religious beliefs and feeding the children.&#8221;
&#8220;Under Title IX, this religious school has an exemption from having to comply with policies that do not correspond to their Christian convictions,&#8221; Steinmiller-Perdomo continued. &#8220;And the Biden administration is trying to erase that exemption.&#8221;
Fried has ignored the school&#8217;s requests for exemption up to this point, the ADF legal counsel said, noting that the litigation will have the courts weigh in as to &#8220;what&#8217;s the proper application of Title IX.&#8221;

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Lawsuit Accuses Biden, FL Agriculture Commissioner Of Threatening Kid’s School Lunches Over Ideology

Lawsuit Accuses Biden, FL Agriculture Commissioner Of Threatening Kid's School Lunches Over Ideology

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Title IX

Democrats quickly turned on one of their own — Florida gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried — when she dared to celebrate her first mask-free flight.
Fried shared a photo of herself smiling, maskless, onboard her first flight since the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/breaking-federal-judge-in-florida-voids-bidens-national-mask-mandate-at-airports-planes-public-transit/">mask mandate for all domestic air travel</a> was overturned just one day before.
&#8220;Peace out to the TSA mask mandate, but also peace and respect to others, whether wearing a mask or not,&#8221; she captioned the photo.
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Peace out to the TSA mask mandate, but also peace and respect to others, whether wearing a mask or not. <a href="https://t.co/rqT9xPRsq6">pic.twitter.com/rqT9xPRsq6</a>
&mdash; Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiFried/status/1516578862410485775?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Fried was not alone in her desire to celebrate, either. Within hours of the mandate being lifted, dozens of videos from airports and even planes — where in some cases, the end of the mask mandate was announced mid-flight — showing passengers and airline employees alike cheering and applauding the news.
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When you’re actually on a flight &amp; they tell you the federal mask mandate is lifted for travelers. Lots of cheering from passengers on board. Then flight crew started playing this on the speakers 🔊🔊🔊 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/masks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#masks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nomasks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nomasks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thisjustin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#thisjustin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/breakingnews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#breakingnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/3okmVtl69g">pic.twitter.com/3okmVtl69g</a>
&mdash; Erica Stapleton (@EricaReportsAll) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricaReportsAll/status/1516204483402948611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Potential opponent Ron DeSantis was quick to celebrate the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/breaking-biden-admin-to-appeal-court-decision-that-ruled-mask-mandate-on-airplanes-was-unlawful/">mandate&#8217;s end</a> as well, saying, &#8220;Finally we have judicial relief for that unscientific mask mandate on airplanes. They&#8217;ve treated these flight attendants horribly for so long, the passengers horribly. [&#8230;] Our view is very simple: zero mandates of any kind.&#8221;
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovRonDeSantis</a>: &quot;Finally we have judicial relief for that unscientific mask mandate on airplanes. They&#39;ve treated these flight attendants horribly for so long, the passengers horribly. [&#8230;] Our view is very simple: zero mandates of any kind.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/eWjx0Fdawm">https://t.co/eWjx0Fdawm</a> <a href="https://t.co/U9gQFfjqlG">pic.twitter.com/U9gQFfjqlG</a>
&mdash; The Hill (@thehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1516778964970209283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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But Fried still must best former Republican Charlie Crist — who earned the endorsement of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — in the Democratic primary before she can face DeSantis. And a number of Democrats made it clear that, after seeing her post about flying mask-free, they will be voting another way.
&#8220;Hey, it was the CDC not the TSA. Seems a candidate for governor should know this. Me, I&#8217;ll be voting for the candidate endorsed by the smart, savvy Speaker Pelosi, @CharlieCrist. He&#8217;s already proven he knows how to govern,&#8221; @teacher97 tweeted.
https://twitter.com/ateacher97/status/1516785046480461828
Health care advocate Kendall Brown <a href="https://twitter.com/kendallybrown/status/1516772687053524993">added</a>, &#8220;Hey Nikki, quick question: How is this you showing &#8220;peace and love&#8221; to the disabled and immunocompromised Floridians you&#8217;re asking to vote for you? You know, the people who can no longer even CONSIDER traveling by air (even when necessary) because of the mask mandate repeal?&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m also going to ask for a refund of my donation to your campaign. Peace out,&#8221; hospital employee Alexandra Halaby <a href="https://twitter.com/iskandrah/status/1516714670526246915">said</a>.
Journalist Sarah Szczypinski asked, &#8220;Do you have a child under 5? An ill family member? What about the rest of the people on that flight? A mask is such a small thing to protect the vulnerable, especially if you’re serious about leadership. This isn’t the flex you think it is.&#8221;
Fried later responded, saying that she planned to read all the responses and went on to tout the success of the vaccines and a return to normalcy.
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I&#39;ll read all your takes, but the mandates are dropped, vaccines are working, things are getting back to normal, and it&#39;s okay for a Democrat to say it — because we made it possible.
I love y&#39;all. 💜
&mdash; Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiFried/status/1516598079872458755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I&#8217;ll read all your takes, but the mandates are dropped, vaccines are working, things are getting back to normal, and it&#8217;s okay for a Democrat to say it — because we made it possible. I love y&#8217;all,&#8221; she tweeted.

President Biden Hosts Super Bowl LV Champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers At The White House

Democrats Turn On DeSantis Challenger For Daring To Celebrate Mask-Free Flight

Air Travel

Face Masks

Mask Mandate

Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Charlie Crist in his gubernatorial bid against Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“I’ve worked with Charlie the past six years in Congress and I’ve seen him fight for Floridians every single day,&#8221; the California Democrat said in a Crist campaign video.
&#8220;He always puts people first,&#8221; Pelosi continued of Crist, who is a three-term congressman.&#8221;He’ll be a champion for women’s reproductive rights, create opportunities for small business owners, and always show empathy and compassion for our working families. It’s a stark contrast to the current governor.”
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I&#39;m honored to receive the full support and endorsement of my colleague and friend, <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerPelosi</a>, as we work to build a Florida that truly works for all Floridians! <a href="https://t.co/kqHgCsyA1k">pic.twitter.com/kqHgCsyA1k</a>
&mdash; Charlie Crist (@CharlieCrist) <a href="https://twitter.com/CharlieCrist/status/1516042829893718020?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“Speaker Pelosi is a beacon of Democratic values, and her leadership uplifts the voices of all Floridians that are ready to put divisive, inflammatory rhetoric behind us and truly get to work for the people,&#8221; Crist said in a Monday statement, <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/florida-playbook/2022/04/18/pelosi-backs-crist-for-florida-governor-00025750">according to Politico</a>.
The California Democrat&#8217;s endorsement comes days after gubernatorial candidate and current Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/there-is-no-sex-tape-twitter-confused-as-florida-gubernatorial-candidate-nikki-fried-appears-to-start-a-rumor-about-herself">was widely mocked</a> for apparently creating a sex tape rumor about herself.
&#8220;It’s absurd that I have to dignify this, but there is no sex tape,&#8221; she tweeted. &#8220;Sorry to disappoint. Also sorry basically every successful woman has to deal with these types of rumors.&#8221;
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It’s absurd that I have to dignify this, but there is no sex tape. Sorry to disappoint. Also sorry basically every successful woman has to deal with these types of rumors.
&mdash; Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiFried/status/1514996754390863885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In September, Fried also attempted to paint pro-abortion Crist as &#8220;pro-life,&#8221; <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/455075-nikki-fried-swings-at-charlie-crist-after-supreme-courts-texas-abortion-decision/">posting an old clip</a> of him talking about his formerly pro-life stances and insisting that she is the &#8220;true&#8221; Democrat opposing DeSantis.
“I’m the only candidate running for Governor in Florida that’s been pro-choice my whole life and never sacrificed women’s health for political gain,” <a href="https://twitter.com/nikkifried/status/1433579733632094211?s=21">Fri</a><a href="https://twitter.com/nikkifried/status/1433579733632094211?s=21">ed</a><a href="https://twitter.com/nikkifried/status/1433579733632094211?s=21"> tweeted</a>. “Think about that and tell me again who Florida Democrats are going to nominate to take on and beat Gov. Ron DeSantis.”
Crist told Fried at the time that it was &#8220;unfortunate&#8221; that she would attack fellow Democrats at that point in time, as Democrats responded with outrage to a pro-life Texas law.
“Let’s all agree — I certainly do — that the real opponent is Gov. Ron DeSantis and his extremist, anti-choice agenda,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/CharlieCrist/status/1433613510890725376?s=20">he said</a>. &#8220;We need to keep the focus there. That’s why I’m running for Governor.”
DeSantis maintains a significant double-digit lead over any of his Democratic challengers, <a href="https://www.flchamber.com/new-florida-chamber-statewide-poll-shows-florida-voters-bullish-on-florida-pessimistic-about-america/">according to a recent Florida Chamber of Commerce poll</a>.
The Florida governor signed a slew of family-related legislation last week that his office described as putting &#8220;families first in Florida.&#8221; On Monday, April, 11, the governor signed legislation connecting men with career services and boys with mentorship. On Tuesday, he signed legislation raising payments for relative and non-relative caregivers of foster children, and on Thursday, the governor signed legislation banning abortions after 15 weeks.

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Pelosi Endorses Charlie Crist After Nikki Fried Appears To Start Sex Tape Rumor About Herself

2022 Election

Charlie Crist

Nancy Pelosi

Democrat Nikki Fried, who is challenging incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), is denying the explosive claim she appeared in a sex tape. Meanwhile, no one seems to know where the rumor came from.
&#8220;Ma&#8217;am thank you for clarifying but the question was about how you would allocate excess funds from the state budget,&#8221; Stephen L. Miller quipped in <a href="https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1515013882191835136?s=20&amp;t=R6txd_56UHXnjGIWavst8A">reply</a>.
“No one:
Absolutely nobody:
Literally zero previous tweets ever:
Nikki Fried: “there is no sex tape,” one person <a href="https://twitter.com/damintoell/status/1515007608733712389?s=20&amp;t=R6txd_56UHXnjGIWavst8A">shared</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No one:
Absolutely nobody:
Literally zero previous tweets ever:
Nikki Fried: “there is no sex tape.” <a href="https://t.co/lAlA2Ve2O5">https://t.co/lAlA2Ve2O5</a>
— Damin Toell (@damintoell) <a href="https://twitter.com/damintoell/status/1515007608733712389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“Dang,” podcaster Jesse Kelly <a href="https://twitter.com/JesseKellyDC/status/1515006097404440580">wrote</a>.
The original tweet, which appears in response to nothing, read: “It’s absurd that I have to dignify this, but there is no sex tape. Sorry to disappoint. Also sorry basically every successful woman has to deal with these types of rumors.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It’s absurd that I have to dignify this, but there is no sex tape. Sorry to disappoint. Also sorry basically every successful woman has to deal with these types of rumors.
&mdash; Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiFried/status/1514996754390863885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Plenty of the gubernatorial candidate’s followers accused DeSantis of “planting” the rumor, or said Republicans were “scared” that they’d lose the election, which is why they&#8217;d start discussing a sex tape. <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/513326-ron-desantis-holds-double-digit-leader-over-any-competitor-in-chamber-poll/">According to</a> the Florida Chamber of Commerce, DeSantis maintains a significant double-digit lead over any of his Democratic challengers as of April 1. 
Fried’s campaign did not respond to The Daily Wire’s request for a comment.
Meanwhile, Fried has come under fire for a variety of reasons unrelated to an X-rated video she may or may not have participated in. The 44-year-old candidate, who is currently serving as Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture, took heat for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-candidate-on-ron-desantis-policies-thats-exactly-what-hitler-did-to-the-jews">comparing the current governor to Hitler</a> when discussing his handling of reopening the state following COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. 
“&#8230;[DeSantis] is doing everything possible to take away power from local governments,” Fried said during a conversation with NPR’s Friday Roundup Podcast. “Taking away people’s abilities to protest. Making it harder to vote. Talking about banning books.”
“That’s what dictators do,” she continued. “Instead of listening and trying to govern with the people, he is trying to govern over the people, and, you know, that, I’m sorry, I’m a student of history, too. I saw the rise of Hitler, I learned those stories.”
“Are you comparing DeSantis to Hitler?” co-host Melissa Ross asked. 
“In a lot of ways, yes,” Fried replied. “I have studied Hitler and how he got to power, you know, wanting his own militia.”
Critics were quick to denounce Fried’s comparison. This came just a few months after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-nikki-fried-slammed-over-tweet-after-desantis-takes-wife-to-cancer-treatment">Fried caught flak</a> for saying she’d “show up” for Florida following DeSantis being absent. Meanwhile, he was taking time to escort his wife, Casey DeSantis, to cancer treatments.
“As governor, I’ll show up,” she tweeted.
“But if someone you love gets cancer, you wouldn’t show up to their treatments? Wow,” DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw wrote. 
“Nikki Fried placing a LOT of bets here that the online left has got it right in claiming DeSantis wasn’t really with his wife for cancer treatment… and I don’t think we have a Sanford situation here so the odds look pretty long for her…Charlie Crist probably thrilled with this tweet and where this could all be headed, quite frankly,” political strategist Liz Mair wrote.

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‘There Is No Sex Tape’: Twitter Confused As DeSantis Challenger Nikki Fried Appears To Start A Rumor About Herself

A new Suffolk University/USA Today Network poll of Florida, the powerful swing state that is crucial to any presidential nominee, shows Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis crushing President Joe Biden among Florida voters by eight points, 52%-44%. Biden secured the same 44% percentage in a prospective match-up with former President Trump, but Trump only garnered 47% in a much closer match-up.
Not only does DeSantis dominate Biden in the new <a href="https://www.suffolk.edu/news-features/news/2022/02/01/00/43/suffolk-university-usa-today-florida-poll">poll</a>, he also decisively defeats both the leading candidates for the Democratic gubernatorial slot; DeSantis leads former Florida governor Charlie Crist 49%-43% and Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried by a whopping 11 points, 51%-40%.
DeSantis’ huge lead over his Democrat opposition shows how popular he has become in what was once an evenly-divided state. In 2014, incumbent GOP governor Rick Scott faced off against Crist, who had been elected as a Republican in 2006 but then ran for the Senate in 2010 as an independent. Scott defeated Crist 48%-47% in the closest race of the 2014 gubernatorial election cycle.
In 2018, the race was even closer; DeSantis defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum in an incredibly close race, 49.59% to 49.19%. The margin of 0.4% made the election the closest race of the 2018 gubernatorial election cycle. DeSantis was the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to win Jefferson County since Reconstruction.
Thus for DeSantis to lead one Democrat challenger by six points and another by 11 is a huge margin in the state of Florida. Additionally, in the Suffolk University/USA Today Network poll, a huge 58% of respondents believed the United States is on the wrong track; only 28% felt the U.S. was on the right track, and 57% of voters disapproved of how Biden is handling the economy; 36% approved.
The survey was conducted January 26-29.
On Monday, DeSantis ripped those on the political Left attempting smear him after two very small neo-Nazi gatherings held in Orlando and Orange County. DeSantis stated, as reported by <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/desantis-torches-those-attempting-to-smear-him-over-neo-nazi-jackaes-protesting-in-florida/">The Daily Wire</a>:
<blockquote>So what I’m going to say is these people, these Democrats who are trying to use this as some type of political issue to try to smear me as if I had something with to do that, we’re not playing their game. You know, some jacka**es doing this on the street. First of all, state law enforcement is going to hold them accountable because they were doing stuff on the overpass. So they’re going to absolutely do that. And they should do that.
But I’m not going to have people try to smear me that belong to a political party that has elevated anti-Semites to the halls of Congress like [Minnesota U.S. Rep.] Ilhan Omar, that have played footsie with the BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] movement, that even had people in their party that have cavorted with Farrakhan. No, we’re going to take our record in Florida and what we’ve done, [including] sign the strongest anti-Semitism bill in the country. We’ve stared down companies who were indulged in BDS like Airbnb. And we’ve won.</blockquote>

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at

DeSantis Crushes Biden, Dem Opponents In New Poll Of Florida Voters

Over the weekend, Nikki Fried — a Democrat running to become the next Governor of Florida — compared Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to Adolf Hitler.
During COVID-19 and the lockdown-induced recession, DeSantis — who was among the first Republican governors to reopen his state — quickly emerged as a national conservative leader, calling for a return to normalcy while protecting the most vulnerable. Fried, who serves as Florida’s agricultural commissioner, has led Democrats in her state in criticizing DeSantis.
In an interview with NPR’s <a href="https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s447/audio/2022/01/tfr20220114.mp3?sc=siteplayer&amp;aw_0_1st.playerid=siteplayer">Friday Roundup Podcast</a>, however, Fried took her criticism to the next level: comparing DeSantis to Adolf Hitler.
During the conversation, Co-host Melissa Ross asked Fried to explain a tweet calling DeSantis a “dictator.” In response, she explained that DeSantis’ policies are similar to those passed during “the rise of Hitler.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democrat candidate Nikki Fried on DeSantis&#8217;s policies as governor: &#8220;That&#8217;s exactly what Hitler did to the Jews back during World War II.&#8221;
Now I don&#8217;t have a PhD in history, but I&#8217;m pretty sure that&#8217;s not *exactly* what Hitler did to the Jews during WWII.<a href="https://t.co/9OfoD2fcsX">pic.twitter.com/9OfoD2fcsX</a>
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles/status/1482838045846089735?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“Growing up in Miami, you know, and having neighbors that were Cubans — growing up with hearing the stories of so many of our Floridians who have left dictatorships and communism and socialist countries — and coming here to the state of Florida for capitalism, for open opportunities to succeed: [DeSantis] is doing everything possible to take away power from local governments,” Fried said. “Taking away people’s abilities to protest. Making it harder to vote. Talking about banning books.”
“That’s what dictators do,” Fried continued. “Instead of listening and trying to govern with the people, he is trying to govern over the people, and, you know, that, I’m sorry, I’m a student of history, too. I saw the rise of Hitler, I learned those stories.”
“Are you comparing DeSantis to Hitler?” pressed Ross. “In a lot of ways, yes,” Fried responded. “I have studied Hitler and how he got to power, you know, wanting his own militia.”
When Ross pointed out that several other states have their own militias, Fried doubled down: “This governor is doing it for the sole purposes of power and doing so to make fear and to instill that, to blame people for what is happening in their lives, blaming certain parts of our society and culture, and that’s exactly what Hitler did to the Jews back during World War II.”
Ross noted that Fried’s response resembled Godwin’s Law — the notion that the probability of invoking Hitler increases to 1 as any online discussion continues. “Do I think that we’re going to get to the extent of Hitler’s power?” Fried replied. “Of course not. But the rise of his power and what he did to scapegoat certain parts … that’s what this governor is doing.”
DeSantis’ colleagues quickly rose to condemn Fried’s remarks. 
“Hitler systematically murdered 6 million Jews and appx 3 million others. @GovRonDeSantis is loved by the Jewish community and has led our state with dignity on so many issues,” <a href="https://twitter.com/GabeGroisman/status/1482507788416954369">said</a> Gabriel Groisman, mayor of Bal Harbour, Florida. “@NikkiFried, Your desperation is showing. Disagreeing with his policies doesn’t make him Hitler. Low.”
“Nikki Fried is no student of history,” <a href="https://twitter.com/JeanetteNunezFL/status/1482765329013088260">added</a> Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez, citing DeSantis’ various actions on behalf of Jewish-Americans.
“This comparison is repulsive, offensive, and minimizes Hitler’s evil crimes against humanity,” <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/487185-casey-fried/">wrote</a> Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis in an email to supporters.

Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis holds a press conference to

Democrat Candidate On Ron DeSantis’ Policies: ‘That’s Exactly What Hitler Did To The Jews’

One of Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis&#8217; challengers in this year&#8217;s gubernatorial race faced significant backlash online on New Year&#8217;s Eve over a tweet that some interpreted as a cheap shot at DeSantis, who recently accompanied his wife to her cancer treatment as critics claimed he was missing in action.
&#8220;As governor, I’ll show up,&#8221; Democrat Nikki Fried tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
As governor, I’ll show up.
&mdash; Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiFried/status/1477072352991232001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Fried&#8217;s tweet came after Florida Democrats and others recently <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/florida-democrats-blast-mia-gov-ron-desantis-covid-cases-surge-n1286785">suggested</a> that DeSantis had gone missing because, as they claimed, he had not been seen in public in roughly two weeks.
DeSantis&#8217; press secretary, Christina Pushaw, debunked those claims when she tweeted out screenshots of his public schedule that show his activities as governor.
Notable responses to Fried included:
<ul>
<li>Erick Erickson, radio host: &#8220;The Governor was with his wife for her cancer treatment. This is gross stuff. He showed up where it mattered most. It kills me I can’t go with my wife to her oncology visits because of hospital guidelines. I’m glad DeSantis was able to be with his wife.&#8221;</li>
<li>John Cardillo, political commentator: &#8220;This trash lowlife knows DeSantis was with his wife at her cancer treatment. Hey @NikkiFriedFL , remember when you showed up at Ft. Lauderdale PD and abused your office to cover the domestic between you and your now fiancé?&#8221;</li>
<li>Liz Mair, political strategist: &#8220;Nikki Fried placing a LOT of bets here that the online left has got it right in claiming DeSantis wasn’t really with his wife for cancer treatment… and I don’t think we have a Sanford situation here so the odds look pretty long for her…Charlie Crist probably thrilled with this tweet and where this could all be headed, quite frankly.&#8221;</li>
<li>Curtis Houck, editor: &#8220;Attacking a guy for going to his wife&#8217;s cancer treatments to own the cons[ervatives].&#8221;</li>
<li>Christina Pushaw, DeSantis press secretary: &#8220;But if someone you love gets cancer, you wouldn&#8217;t show up to their treatments? Wow.&#8221;</li>
<li>Travis Wester, political commentator: &#8220;Referring to being there for your spouse during her cancer treatment as &#8216;giving up&#8217; is the kind of cheap shot that makes the vote a referendum on you, not your opponent. Good luck Nikki.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
Fried was not the only one to face backlash for making remarks aimed at DeSantis&#8217; whereabouts.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) faced backlash on Friday evening after she responded to DeSantis&#8217; campaign, which welcomed her to the state as she fled there while the city she represents saw a historic number of new coronavirus cases.
“Welcome to Florida, AOC!” DeSantis’ campaign said. “We hope you’re enjoying a taste of freedom here in the Sunshine State thanks to @RonDeSantisFL’s leadership.”
Ocasio-Cortez responded by suggesting without evidence that DeSantis had “been inexplicably missing for like 2 weeks,” before saying that she wanted to “help with local organizing” in Florida.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aoc-slammed-for-false-claim-on-desantis-who-was-taking-wife-to-cancer-treatments-a-dirtbag-evil">AOC Slammed For False Claim On DeSantis, Who Was Taking Wife To Cancer Treatments: ‘A Dirtbag,’ ‘Evil’</a>

Democrat Nikki Fried Slammed Over Tweet After DeSantis Takes Wife To Cancer Treatment

On Monday, Democrat Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a leading contender to challenge GOP governor Ron DeSantis in 2022, claimed in a radio interview that DeSantis was seeking a “race war and a cultural war&#8221; because he has staunchly opposed the teaching of Critical Race Theory in public schools.
Fried was <a href="https://news.wjct.org/programs/first-coast-connect-melissa-ross">speaking</a> on WJCT-FM’s “First Coast Connect” about the Florida Board of Education deciding to ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory in public schools when she stated, “This is another opportunity for the governor to create a race war and cultural war, inside of our state.”
“I want everybody to rest assured,” she boasted. “First of all, critical race theory is the new bogeyman of the Republican Party. It’s not something that’s taught in the state of Florida. But we need to let our teachers do their jobs and that’s teach. This governor and this Board of Education who (sic) is, again, appointed solely by Republican governors like Ron DeSantis and the previous governor as well, it is not their job to tell our teachers how to — sure, there’s parameters (and) policies, but this is a time when they have overstepped once again, government is stepping in to the job of educating, and not the teachers.”
“This is, again, a bogeyman the Governor is pushing out there,” she repeated. “This thought that doesn’t exist, but just again, to put fear into the people’s minds. He did it intentionally, not because there’s a worry about something like this, but to create a culture war in our state. And I know people in our state are smarter than this and aren’t going to fall for this political rhetoric that is being spewed by Ron DeSantis and the Republican Party.”
Republican Governors’ Association spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez blasted Fried, asserting, “Nikki Fried’s accusations against the Governor aren’t just desperate, they’re dangerous. Fried has shown repeatedly that she’s incapable of being truthful about pretty much anything. Her resorting to lies and malicious manipulations on her own liberal biography and views on critical race theory are just more of the same,” <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/435657-crt-fried-desantis-war/?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter">Florida Politics</a> reported.
Prior to the Board of Education’s vote, DeSantis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gov-ron-desantis-promises-to-oppose-any-fl-school-board-candidates-who-support-critical-race-theory">had said bluntly</a>, “Next week, I have my Commissioner of Education going to the Board of Education banning it, banning any departure from accurate history and following our standards. This is something we’ve got to stay on the forefront of. “We’re also … not going to support any Republican candidate for school board who supports critical race theory in all 67 counties or supports mandatory masking of schoolchildren. … We are going to get the Florida political apparatus involved so we can make sure there’s not a single school board member, Republican, whoever indulges critical race theory.”
DeSantis had also said previously, “Some of the nonsense that you see in some of these places around the country, I mean, they will attack cops with this type of ideology in schools, and meanwhile, they have like 87% of the kids that aren’t even literate in some of these schools. So it shows you they’re not trying to educate; they’re trying to indoctrinate. We’re not going to let that come to Florida. And so I’m glad that they acted. I think it’s the right thing to do. We’re going to make sure that we’re providing access to education, but solid education, free of some of this ideology that people are trying to shove down everybody’s throats.”

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