DeSantis deadlocked with possible Democrat challenger Crist in reelection bid, poll 

Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is deadlocked with potential 2022 Democratic challenger Charlie Crist, amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in their state, according to a new survey.

The survey by Florida-based firm St. Pete Polls found 44% said they would back DeSantis, while 45% said they would vote for Crist, who was Florida governor from 2007 to 2011. 

The survey's margin of error was 1.6 percentage points, which makes the hypothetical matchup a deadlock.

DeSantis has been hailed for his handling of the pandemic including vaccinating the state's elderly and others most vulnerable to the virus, while keeping the economy open.

However, Florida has emerged as a hotspot for the recent coronavirus surge, which has sparked criticism about his resistance to reinstituting a mask mandate or other health safety measures. 

The website FiveThirtyEight, which analyzes polling accuracy, gives St. Pete Polls a B-plus.

About 11% of the roughly 3,900 respondents in the poll, conducted from Monday to Tuesday, said they were still undecided about their choice for governor heading into the 2022 contest, according to The Hill.

A St. Pete Polls survey released in May showed just 30% of voters believed Crist had better than even odds of unseating DeSantis.