Democrat showdowns, progressive challenges headline primaries as voters head to polls in Florida, New York
Tuesday's top races include the Democrat gubernatorial primary in Florida, and two Democrat New York House races
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A number of high-profile showdowns between Democrats are taking place on Tuesday as voters head to the polls for primary elections in Florida and New York.
In Florida, Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried is facing off against current Congressman Charlie Crist in the Democrat gubernatorial primary to determine who will take on incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the November general election.
Most polls indicate Crist, a Republican turned Democrat who once served as Florida's governor while still a member of the GOP, is leading Fried in a heated race that has seen sharp attacks from both sides.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fried has focused much of her criticism toward Crist on his time as a member of the Republican Party, as well as his more extensive career as a politician, while Crist has sought to tie Fried to Republican politicians and Republican-friendly lobby and business groups.
Nikki Fried, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and a Democratic candidate for 2022 Florida gubernatorial race, arrives at a ceremony for U.S. President Biden. ( Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
In New York, long-time Democrat members of Congress Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney are being forced to compete for a single seat in New York's newly drawn 12th Congressional District after their respective New York City districts were combined in the state's redistricting process following the 2020 census.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Both have served in Congress since the early 1990s and are facing a challenge from a third Democrat, 38-year-old lawyer Suraj Patel, who is calling for "generational change" and a new approach to representing the district rather than the "status-quo."
Polls show Nadler leading the race, with Maloney in second and Patel in third, although each consistently receives support from a sizable chunk of the respondents.
NY PREPARES FOR MAJOR PRIMARY THAT WILL SEE AT LEAST 1 DEM HOUSE LEADER OUT OF A JOB
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Incumbent candidates for New York's 12th Congressional District, Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. (Nadler: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File; Maloney: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Also in New York, incumbent Democrat Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney is facing a challenge from the left in state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi in the state's 17th Congressional District.
Biaggi, a proponent of the "Defund the Police" movement, has received endorsements from "Squad" member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and former far-left 2018 Democrat gubernatorial candidate, Cynthia Nixon.
Recent polls have indicated Maloney, who currently represents the 18th Congressional District and is considered a moderate Democrat, is leading Biaggi by double digits; however, the latter is appearing to hope for a similar upset as that of Ocasio-Cortez over then-Democrat Congressman Joe Crowley in 2018.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Here are other races to watch on Tuesday:
FL-01: Scandal-plagued Rep. Matt Gaetz faces a primary challenge from self-funder and former FedEx executive Mark Lombardo.
FL-13: Trump-endorsed Anna Paulina Luna faces off against several other Republicans in this seat left open after Rep. Charlie Crist opted to run for Governor.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NY-10: More than a dozen candidates, including freshman Rep. Mondaire Jones will battle it out for the Democratic nomination. Dan Goldman, the former Trump impeachment manager, who the former president trolled last week with his endorsement is also vying for the seat that spans Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn.
NY-16: Squad member Jamaal Bowman squares off against moderate Vedat Gashi in the newly redrawn district that experts say could favor the more moderate Gashi.
NY-19 (Special): The matchup in the Empire State's 19th Congressional District, which covers New York's Catskills and mid-Hudson Valley regions, features Ulster County Executive Patrick Ryan, a Democrat who has campaigned on a promise to protect abortion access, and Republican Marc Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive who has focused on inflation, gas prices and crime.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., is interviewed in the Capitol on Friday, June 21, 2019. NY State Senator Alessandra Biaggi attends The Fashion Act Rally held by the Button and Needle Sculpture in Manhattan of New York City February 12, 2022 to protest climate change and on fashion coalition to demand end to fashion's race to the bottom. (Maloney: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/ Biaggi: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Polls will close in New York at 9:00 p.m. ET, in Florida at 7:00 p.m. ET, and in the Florida panhandle at 7:00 p.m. CT.