RIGHT ON TIME WITH 12 MINUTES. IF YOU’RE TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND FROM DOWNTOWN TO 2.95. ON 95.
SAFE TRAVELS US LOOK UP
PRISON. TELL YOU THAT TIME
SAVER TRAFFIC.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: TODAY’S
PRIMARY ELECTIONS. THE FIRST
STATEWIDE ELECTION SINCE 2020
AND OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS,
THINGS HAVE CHANGED
DRAMATICALLY. 2020 WAS A
POLITICALLY CHARGED TURBULENT
YEAR. IT TESTED AMERICA’S
FAITH IN DEMOCRACY AND MADE
ELECTION SECURITY. AN ISSUE
FOR THE GOP BASE. DEMOCRATS
ARE HOPEFUL THAT ENERGY
SURROUNDING THE ABORTION ISSUE
AND OVERTURNING ROE V WADE
GIVES THEM MOMENTUM AT THE
POLLS. NO DOUBT POLITICAL
CONCERNS RIGHT NOW ARE
ECONOMIC SPECIFICALLY
INFLATION FOR EVERYBODY.
JOINING ME ON THE MORNING
SHOW, KRIS HANNA GOVERNMENT
LAW ATTORNEY AND CO AUTHOR OF
THE BOOK AMERICA THE OWNER’S
MANUAL. GOOD MORNING, CHRIS.
TO HAVE YOU HERE. GOOD
MORNING, BRUCE. GREAT TO BE
HERE IS ALWAYS SO LET ME START
WITH ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES
ON THE BALLOT. THE GOVERNOR’S
RACE, RON DESANTIS HAS A LOT
OF MOMENTUM. AND CHARLIE CRIST
OR NIKKI FRIED WILL FACE AND
WHOEVER WINS FACES 2 ISSUES.
DESANTIS IS A RISING STAR IN
THE GOP AND DEMOCRATS HAVE NOT
WON A FLORIDA GOVERNOR’S
CONTEST IN ALMOST 30 YEARS.
WELL, WE’LL FIND OUT, OF
COURSE, TONIGHT, SOMETIME
AFTER THE POLLS CLOSE AT
07:00PM, WHICH OF THE
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES, EITHER
U.S. CONGRESS PERSON.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: AND FORMER
GOVERNOR CHARLIE CRIST OR
AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER NIKKI
FRIED WILL BE THE DEMOCRATIC
NOMINEE. MOST OF THE POLLS,
NOT ALL OF THEM. BUT MOST OF
THE POLLS SUGGEST THAT CHARLIE
CRIST WILL BE VICTORIOUS
TONIGHT. AND IF THAT HAPPENS,
WILL THEN HAVE A 2 AND A HALF
MONTH. GENERAL ELECTION
CAMPAIGN, AS YOU SAY, IT IS A
DEFINITE CHALLENGE. GOVERNOR
DESANTIS IS AN INCUMBENT. HE
NOW HAS MORE THAN 130 MILLION
DOLLARS BANK FOR THE GENERAL
ELECTION CAMPAIGN. BUT POLLS
DO STILL SHOW THE GENERAL
ELECTION IN A RELATIVELY
COMPETITIVE POSITION. SO
LIKELY TO BE YET ANOTHER
COMPETITIVE ELECTION HERE IN
THE STATE OF FLORIDA BOTH
TODAY AND OVER THE NEXT 2 AND
A HALF MONTHS SOON. AND
TURNOUT IS GOING TO BE KEY
THERE AND WE’LL SEE HOW ROE V
WADE, YOU KNOW, INFLUENCES A
LOT OF THE TURNOUT ON THE
DEMOCRATIC SIDE AS WELL. COME
BACK TO ANOTHER BIG STATEWIDE
RACE IN A MINUTE. BUT FIRST ON
THE LOCAL ABOUT IT, WE’VE GOT
THE SHERIFF’S RACE AND YOU’RE
YOU’VE GOT 5 CANDIDATES IN THE
FIELD THERE. BUT THE POLLS
INDICATE THAT UK WATERS AND
LOOKING BURKE, ANOTHER FRONT
RUNNERS.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: ONE WOULD
CONTINUE TO RUN JSO AS HIS
PREDECESSORS. THAT WOULD BE
WATERS WHILE BURTON MAY
FACILITATE SOME CHANGE WITH
COMMUNITY POLICING POLICING.
NOW, EITHER WAY JACKSONVILLE
WILL ELECT A BLACK SHIRT FOR
ONLY THE SECOND TIME AND ITS
HISTORY AND CRIME. THE GROWING
CRIME PROBLEM IN MURDER RATE
IS SIGNIFICANT HERE AS HIS
ROUTE WILL JUST REMIND PEOPLE
ABOUT THE MECHANICS OF THIS
PARTICULAR ACTION GETS A
LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. THIS IS
A RACE WE WERE EXPECTING, BUT
NOT UNTIL NEXT MARCH IN MAY
WITH A NORMAL CITY ELECTIONS.
BUT THE FORMER SHERIFF MIKE
WILLIAMS LEFT OFFICE EARLY.
THESE 5 CANDIDATES ARE RUNNING
TO FILL THE REMAINING 7 MONTHS
OF HIS PREVIOUS TERM AND WE’LL
HAVE A CHANCE TO RUN AGAIN FOR
A FULL FOUR-YEAR TERM NEXT
SPRING. WE HAVE A UNITARY
ELECTION THERE. 5 CANDIDATES
THAT WILL PROBABLY BE WHITTLED
DOWN TO 2 FOR NOVEMBER. THE
LEADING CONTENDERS, MANY THINK
OUR TK WATERS, THE REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATE IN THE QUEUE SHOULD
BURTON ONE OF THE DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATES. BUT OF COURSE,
WE’LL SEE AGAIN HOW THAT
SHAKES OUT IN THE POLLS
TONIGHT. BUT THIS RACE LIKELY
ALSO GOING TO NOVEMBER SO
VOTERS CAN CHOOSE WHO THE NEXT
COUNTY SHERIFF WILL BE.
SOMEBODY HAS TO GET 50% PLUS
ONE. OTHERWISE THERE COULD BE
A RUNOFF. THAT’S EXACTLY
RIGHT. AND LESS IF SOMEONE
DOESN’T GET AN OUTRIGHT
MAJORITY, THE TOP 2 FINISHERS
THEN ADVANCE TO THE NOVEMBER
ELECTION, OK? SO LET’S GO BACK
TO THE STATEWIDE RACES. THE
OTHER BIG MARQUEE RACE PITS
MARCO RUBIO AND VAL DEMINGS OF
VAL DEMINGS HAS BEEN ON A BIG
TIME MEDIA BLITZ. SHE HAS A
SUBSTANTIAL CAMPAIGN WAR CHEST
AND A RECENT UNF POLL PUTS HER
WELL AHEAD OF HER 3
CHALLENGERS. BUT AGAIN, THE
BIGGEST ISSUE IS NOVEMBER
BECAUSE CONTROL OF THE SENATE
IS AT HAND AND FLORIDA’S FRONT
AND CENTER IN BOTH THAT SENATE
RACE IN CONGRESSIONAL RACES AS
WELL AND CONTROL IS A BIG
ISSUE IN THE MIDTERMS. FIRST
WJHG VIEWERS ARE ACTUALLY CAN
HAVE A FRONT ROW SEAT TO 2 OF
THE BIGGEST U.S. SENATE RACES
IN THE COUNTRY WHICH MIGHT
DECIDE CONTROL OF THAT BODY.
BOTH THE RACE, AS YOU SAY,
BETWEEN VAL DEMINGS AND
INCUMBENT SENATOR MARCO RUBIO,
WHICH MULTIPLE POLLS HAVE SAID
HE IS VERY CLOSE AND LIKELY TO
BE TIGHTLY CONTESTED THROUGH
NOVEMBER. BUT OF COURSE, ALSO
THE SENATE RACE IN THE STATE
OF GEORGIA, WHICH IS PART OF
THE WJXT VIEWING AREA WITH
INCUMBENT RAPHAEL WARNOCK AND
CHALLENGER HERSCHEL WALKER. SO
PEOPLE IN THIS AREA ARE GOING
TO SEE 2 OF THE MOST
COMPETITIVE SENATE SEATS IN
THE COUNTRY OVER THE NEXT 2
AND A HALF MONTHS. SO LET ME
GET BACK TO FOCUSING ON RON
DESANTIS. HE HAS BEEN
CAMPAIGNING ACROSS THE COUNTRY
AND EVERYTHING HE DOES. IT
SEEMS TO BE PLAYING TO A
POLITICAL BASE. HE WAS HERE IN
JACKSONVILLE LAST WEEKEND AS
PART OF HIS ACTIVE EFFORT TO
INFLUENCE NON PARTISAN SCHOOL
BOARD CONTESTS STATEWIDE.
SOMETHING WE HAVE NOT SEEN
GOVERNOR DO BEFORE. DOES HE
REALLY CARE ABOUT THE
GOVERNOR’S CONTEST HERE OR IS
EVERYTHING PREDICATED ON A
WHITE HOUSE RUN? THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. CARES ABOUT THE
GOVERNOR’S CONTEST BECAUSE IF
HE ISN’T REELECTED, GOVERNOR,
ANY FUTURE POLITICAL PLANS ARE
SORT OF MOVED AT THAT POINT.
HE’S NOT REELECTED, GOVERNOR.
SO I THINK HE DOES CARE ABOUT
THAT CONTEST. BUT I THINK WHAT
YOU’RE SEEING IS SORT OF
ALIGNING OF EFFORTS TO AID THE
YOU KNOW, HE AND HIS TEAM
OBVIOUSLY HAVE SORT OF A
THEORY OF THE CASE WHICH
SUGGESTS THAT THEY’RE GOING TO
RUN FOR GOVERNOR IN A WAY THAT
MIGHT ALSO BOOST FUTURE
PRESIDENTIAL PROSPECTS. OF
COURSE, WE WON’T KNOW WHETHER
THOSE FUTURE PRESIDENTIAL
PROSPECTS ARE LIKELY UNTIL
AFTER THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS.
SO WHAT IF HE DECIDES HE DOES
WANT TO RUN DONALD TRUMP IS IN
THE FIELD AS WELL. WELL,
THAT’S GOING TO BE A VERY
INTERESTING SITUATION BECAUSE,
OF COURSE, AS WE KNOW, ONE OF
THE MAJOR FACTORS BEHIND
GOVERNOR DESANTIS BEING
ELECTED, THE LEAST WINNING THE
REPUBLICAN NOMINATION. THE
BEING ELECTED GOVERNOR WAS
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DECISION TO
SUPPORT HIM OVER THEN
AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER ADAM
PUTNAM. SHE’LL HAVE A CASE
WHERE A POLITICAL MEANT HE IS
CHALLENGING HIS POLITICAL
MENTOR COULD MAKE FOR VERY
INTERESTING REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
CONTEST IN 2024. ALL RIGHT.
FIRST WE GET PAST TONIGHT’S
INTERESTING PRIMARY CONTEST
LAST SEASON AND YOU’LL BE HERE
FOR POLITICAL ANALYSIS
TONIGHT. I WILL ASSURE WE’LL
LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. AND
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME THIS
MORNING. ABSOLUTELY. YOU’LL BE
BACK WITH US TOMORROW MORNING
AS WELL. LOOKING FORWARD TO
IT. THANK SO KEEP IN MIND, THE
POLLS CLOSE HERE IN
JACKSONVILLE AT 7 O’CLOCK
TONIGHT. BUT YOU ALSO HAVE THE
POLLS CLOSING IN THE PANHANDLE
AT 8 O’CLOCK OUR TIME. SO THE
RESULTS WON’T START FILTERING
IN TILL THEN. AND THAT’S WHEN