Primary Election Results

HELLO, I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THE RESULTS ARE IN FROM THE FLORIDA PRIMARY WITH SOME PROJECTIONS COMING AS PREDICTED. WELL, OTHER RACES OFFERED A MAJOR UPSETS IN THE RACE TO BE FLORIDA'S NEXT GOVERNOR. BYRON DONALDS AND DAVID JOLLY, ONE OF THEIR PARTY'S NOMINATIONS AND WILL FACE OFF IN NOVEMBER IN THE CHASE FOR THE U.S. SENATE SEAT. DEMOCRATIC STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND HE NICS NIXON PULLED OFF A STUNNING WIN AGAINST RETIRED ARMY LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALEX VINDMAN. THEN MEN'S CAMPAIGN SPENT MORE THAN 16 MILLION DOLLARS. NIXON'S LESS THAN A MILLION NIXON DEFEATED VENEMAN WITH 56% OF THE VOTE. SHE WILL CHALLENGE INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN SEN ASHLEY MOODY IN THE GENERAL ELECTION IN NOVEMBER. >> FOR AN OVERVIEW OF THE PRIMARY RESULTS, I'M NOW JOINED BY DOCTOR SUSAN MCMANUS. >> PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT USF AND A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED EXPERT IN FLORIDA POLITICS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> LET'S FIRST TALK ABOUT THE U.S. SENATE SEAT. INCUMBENT SENATOR ASHLEY MOODY WINS THE GOP PRIMARY BY A LANDSLIDE IN NOVEMBER. SHE WILL FACE OFF AGAINST THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE, PROGRESSIVE ANGIE NIXON, A STATE REPRESENTATIVE. HOW SURPRISING IS IT THAT NIXON BEAT FORMER ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ALEX VENEMAN. HE SPENT CLOSE TO 3 MILLION DOLLARS AT LEAST IN HIS CAMPAIGN. >> ALL RIGHT. IT'S CERTAINLY SHOCKED A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT IF YOU FOLLOW IT VERY CLOSELY, THERE'S SOME REALLY GOOD EXPLANATIONS FOR, FOR EXAMPLE. SHE IS A WELL-KNOWN STATE REPRESENTATIVE FOR SHE'S VISIT AT ALL THESE DEMOCRATIC CLUBS ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR YEARS. PEOPLE KNOW HER. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS SHE RAN A FANTASTIC GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN. SHOULD VERSION OF THE MONEY SHE TOOK THE TIME SHE ORGANIZED PEOPLE. SHE GOT PEOPLE ENGAGE THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE EVER VOTED IN THIS RACE. NOW, IF AT ALL, A CLASSIC CASE OF WHERE HARD WORK AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE CONSTITUENCY BASE REALLY PAID OFF FOR HER. BUT THERE'S ALSO ANOTHER BIG REASON. AND THAT IS THAT 63% OF ALL FLORIDA DEMOCRATS ARE WOMEN. AND A LOT OF WOMEN REALLY LIKE TO SUPPORT OTHER WOMEN CANDIDATES WHO ARE RUNNING. AND YOU SAW A LOT OF THAT. SO THAT ADDED TO IT. AND AS THE 3RD THING, YOU CAN HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY. AND NOT ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE OF AN AREA. AND THEN A MAN CAME IN WITH A LOT OF MONEY, MAKING A LOT OF SPLASH. BUT INSTEAD OF TRYING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HE HAD A AN OPPONENT. WE WENT STRAIGHT 4 AIMING AT MOODY JUST BY PASSING ON ASSUMING THAT HE HAD IT IN THE BAG. WERE GUESTS WANTING GOOD. >> THE 11 TERM DEMOCRATIC U.S. REP DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ WON THE NOMINATION IN NEAR MAJORITY BLACK DISTRICT UNDER THE GOP LED REDRAWING OF CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS. HOW DID THE REDRAWING OF THOSE MAPS IMPACT THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES? >> AND THAT DISTRICT, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WERE A LOT OF WELL, FIRST OF ALL, SHE MOVE TO A DISTRICT THAT SHE DID NOT REPRESENT ME FOR DISTRICT 20 AND THAT WAS TRADITIONALLY HELD BY AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN. AND SO WHEN SHE ENTERED THE RACE, THERE WERE A LOT WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY ARE VERY DISTURBED ABOUT THAT. AND IN FACT, SHE HAD A LOT OF BLACK OPPONENTS RUNNING AGAINST HER AND SHE EVEN CAUGHT A LOT OF FLAK FOR EVEN ENTERING THE RACE IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT THAT HAD BEEN A TRADITIONAL BLACK DISTRICT. SHE WON OVERWHELMINGLY. SHE HAD A LOT OF SUPPORT OF JEWISH COMMUNITY OR OLDER DEMOCRATS HAVE KNOWN HER. SHE'S BEEN IN OFFICE 20 SOME YEARS. HE'S REALLY COMMUNITIES AND BROWARD COUNTY. WELL, RIDGES WHERE SHE LIVE. AND SO SHE PULLED IT OFF YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE CREDIT AND A LOT OF BLACK SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO DID LIKE HER, WHERE WE'RE REALLY WATCHING TO SEE WHAT DIFFERENCE THAT MIGHT MAKE DOWN THE WAY, BECAUSE THERE'S STILL SOME HARD FEELINGS ABOUT HER IN THE RACE. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS IT'S A SAFE DISTRICT NOW FOR DEMOCRATS. >> THAT IN THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR BYRON DONALDS CAPTURE THE GOP NOMINATION ENDORSED OF COURSE BY PRESIDENT TRUMP. WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON WHETHER THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE, DAVID JOLLY HAS A REAL CHANCE TO BEAT BYRON DONALDS IN NOVEMBER. >> THIS WILL BE A MUCH CLOSER RACE THAN THE LAST GUBERNATORIAL RACE WAS WITHOUT QUESTION. THE QUESTION HERE AGAIN, IS. HOW MUCH DEMOCRATS CAN GRAB A HOLD OF A LOT OF. THE NO PARTY AFFILIATION. SO FOR LET'S JUST GET A READ ON THE BREAKDOWN RIGHT NOW ON FLORIDA, AT 41% OF ALL REGISTRANTS, ARE REPUBLICANS, 30% OF DEMOCRATS. AND 28 TO 29% OR NO PARTY AFFILIATION OR ONE OF THE 15 MINOR PARTIES, DEMOCRATS. AND YOU CAN SEE WITH THOSE NUMBERS. I'VE GOT TO MAKE A LOT OF HEADWAY INTO THIS BASE THAT IS INDEPENDENT AND REALLY DID LIKE PARTIES TOO MUCH. AND FOR, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF REASONS THEY TRADITIONALLY DON'T HAVE A HIGHER TURNOUT. SO THE CHALLENGE IS THERE. AND THE NUMBERS IN TERMS OF REGISTRATION GIVE THE EDGE TO THE REPUBLICAN. AND BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, IF THE DEMOCRATS CAN REALLY GRAB AHOLD OF PEOPLE ON AN ISSUE THAT'S RESONATING WELL, AND CAN GRAB A HOLD OF A LOT OF THESE INDEPENDENTS. IT COULD BE A VERY CLOSE RACE. >> AND WHAT IMPLICATIONS DO THE PRIMARY RESULTS HAVE ON THE MIDTERMS? >> NOT A WHOLE LOT TO BE. FRANK. WE HAD A LITTLE BIT LOWER TURNOUT THAN WE DID. THE PREVIOUS MIDTERM. I THINK IN 2022 IS 26% LOOKS LIKE LAST NIGHT. IT WAS 24 AND A HALF OR 25 IT A LITTLE BIT LOWER TURNOUT. BUT THE PEOPLE WHO VOTE IN PRIMARIES ARE VERY DIFFERENT. THEN THE ELECTORATE AT LARGE. MOST OF THE TIME THEY'RE ACTIVE IN POLITICS. THEY LOVE POLITICS. THEY'RE OLDER. AND THEY'RE VERY DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICALLY. THEN THEIR INDIVIDUAL PARTIES AT LARGE, PARTICULARLY TRUE OF DEMOCRATS. AND SO YOU REALLY CAN'T TAKE IT VERY MUCH. NOW WHAT THE CANDIDATES ARE GOING TO BE DOING. IS TO RE LOOKING AT WHERE DID WELL AND EMPHASIZE FROM HERE TO THE NEXT ELECTION WHERE THEY NEED TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND TRY TO BOLSTER THAT. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. DOCTOR MCMANUS. >> YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. THANK