The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. October 25, 2022 Charlie Crist and Ron DeSantis Clash in Florida Governor Debate --------------------------------------------------------------- In Florida, Republican Governor Ron De Santis faced off against Democratic challenger Charlie Crist Monday for their first-and-only debate ahead of November's election. De Santis refused to say whether he would serve a full four-year term if re-elected in November - adding to speculation that he'll compete for the Republican party's presidential nomination in 2024. Meanwhile, Charlie Crist blasted De Santis over his anti-scientific views on gender; climate change; and the COVID-19 pandemic.  Charlie Crist: "Ron, I wouldn't pat yourself on the back too much about your response to Covid. We've lost 82,000 Floridians. And when you look at the Thanksgiving table, one of those empty seats is probably one of those people for many people watching tonight. And if we had only had the standard of other states in the United States, 40,000 of those people would still be alive, enough to fill Tropicana Stadium in St. Petersburg. That's tragic." Crist served a four-year term as governor of Florida, beginning in 2007, when he was elected on the Republican ticket. He later switched party affiliations to become a Democrat.  In Pennsylvania, Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz are set to meet this evening for their first-and-only debate for an open US Senate seat. We'll get the latest on the US midterm elections after headlines. .