Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist trolled the state's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis by jumping on the recent Spirit Halloween meme craze.
Crist wrote on Twitter that he'd located "the scariest costume for Halloween" in the form of "Wannabe Dictator DeSantis."
The "costume," per the post, comes with "a ban on abortion with NO exceptions for rape or incest," "bans on books and saying 'gay,' the "highest insurances in the nation," a "housing crisis," and a "Pair of shiny white boots."
You can see Crist's post below.
\u201cLooking to find the scariest costume for Halloween this year? Look no further:\u201d— Charlie Crist (@Charlie Crist) 1666977212
The meme takes jabs at DeSantis for his record while in office.
DeSantis indeed opposes abortion and has denounced Planned Parenthood. Earlier this year, he signed into law a bill that bans elective abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, shortening the period of viability from 24 weeks.
The law permits termination of a viable pregnancy if at least two physicians certify that it is necessary to avert a "serious risk" to the pregnant woman's physical health or that the fetus has a "fatal fetal abnormality," but does not permit elective termination of viable pregnancies resulting from rape, human trafficking, or incest, or permit termination of viable pregnancies that pose a risk of psychological (but not physical) affliction.
DeSantis has repeatedly attacked public education—at one point railing at "woke math"—and signed into law the “Stop Wrongs against Our Kids and Employees Act" (or Stop WOKE Act).
The law empowers parents to file lawsuits to enforce the prohibition of critical race theory lessons in public schools—something that Republicans have falsely claimed is happening—and to defund primary and secondary education in the event they school consultants on the theory, and bars its concepts from being included in employee training.
The pushback against public education in Florida reached a fever pitch after the passage of the Parental Rights in Education bill, or H.B. 1557, which DeSantis signed into law earlier this year. The bill, colloquially known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, aims to “reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children in a specified manner.”
The law has received nationwide attention for forbidding “a school district from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a specified manner," though the law also applies to conversations about racism and social justice.
High insurance premiums have skyrocketed even higher in Florida as a result of natural disasters which, like the recent Hurricane Ian, have been exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change. The state is already facing a shortage of affordable housing that has only been made worse by the disaster.
Adding to these woes, DeSantis was widely mocked after he showed up in DeSoto County to survey the damage caused by Ian while wearing a rather immaculate pair of white rubber boots that looked remarkably out of place given the circumstances (but that nonetheless inspired more than a few funny Photoshop jobs).
As far as Twitter users were concerned, Crist's post was spot on.
\u201cGo Charlie.....baaaahahaha!!! I think I just peed a little\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\u201d— Robin (@Robin) 1667059198
\u201cShiny white boots included!\u201d— Lisa \ud83d\udc1d \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Lisa \ud83d\udc1d \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1666984237
\u201cOMG!\nGame On!\nCheck Mate!\nIf I hadn\u2019t voted for @CharlieCrist already during early voting, I would vote for him just for this\ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffb\n\nPoint for Charlie!\n\nCrist 1\nDeSantis 0\u201d— Orlando Ribbons\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Orlando Ribbons\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1666988380
\u201cLove this!\u201d— Brandon (@Brandon) 1666991842
\u201cThere boots were made for.....\nPRANCIN'!\u201d— Jim Duckett (@Jim Duckett) 1666993309
\u201cYou too can dress like a banana republic dictator!\u201d— Devin Nunes' Cattle Dog (@Devin Nunes' Cattle Dog) 1667037902
\u201cThis is PERFECT!!!\ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83c\udf83\ud83d\udc80\u2620\ufe0f\ud83d\udc08\u200d\u2b1b\ud83d\udc7b\u201d— michellez (@michellez) 1667054444
\u201cThis costume left out transphobia.\u201d— Danny Korcz\ud83c\udff4\u2721\ufe0f (@Danny Korcz\ud83c\udff4\u2721\ufe0f) 1667063711
\u201cLmao! Totally DeathSantis\u201d— Linda Trulock (@Linda Trulock) 1667080149
Polls indicate that DeSantis is favored to win the gubernatorial election. DeSantis has also outmatched Crist in fundraising, raising $183.2 million through Oct. 14, more than any governor in American history, according to Open Secrets. Crist's total campaign haul is $28.4 million.
The last four public polls show DeSantis leading by double digits, and RealClearPolitics has DeSantis at an 11-point lead.
Crist's campaign has sought to buoy itself in the final week via relational organizing—the act of mobilizing personal contacts within a volunteer’s network—to make direct contact with supporters.
