Ahead of November’s gubernatorial election, Leon County voters say education and abortion are two of their top concerns.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will face Democratic Rep. Charlie Christo in the next general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

“The abortion issue is a huge one, especially for women,” said Kathy McCallister, a 36-year-old Democrat from Tallahassee. McAllister, she said, voted for Christo in the primary.

Cook Political Report analysis shows that Florida is a likely Republican state and an uphill battle for Democrats, but DeSantis’ victory is not guaranteed. Christo is widely known and has had a long career in public service. And in 2018, he was close when DeSantis was elected governor. He won by less than half a percent.

But since DeSantis took office, Republicans have significantly outpaced Democrats in total voter registration.

Tallahassee resident Andy Hlushak, 36, and his wife moved there in June because they wanted to live in a “freer state.”

“We like to joke that everything in Florida’s nature wants to kill you: bugs, alligators, hurricanes. The Colorado government wants to kill you,” says Furshack. said. “We wanted to leave here and go somewhere a little more free.”

For example, Hlushak says he disagrees with Colorado’s abortion law. Under this law, abortion can be performed at any time during pregnancy. “I’m very pro-life,” said Furschak. “I believe abortion is killing babies.”

Hlushak, who has not yet registered to vote, said he plans to register in time to vote in the November elections. He says he is leaning towards voting for DeSantis.

“Florida seemed to be on a better trajectory than Colorado in terms of my children’s educational choices,” he said. Hlushak and his wife homeschool their children, but Colorado’s homeschooling laws have become too restrictive, they say.

Democrats have criticized the DeSantis administration for pushing policies that limit how race, gender identity and sexual orientation are taught in public schools.

Arnett Moore, 63, of Tallahassee, is a registered Democrat. She also has her education on the back of her mind for the general election.

“From a governor’s standpoint, I think it’s important to think about what we’re doing for our students here in the state,” he said. “Today, our education system has too many obligations and does not allow students the freedom to learn that they deserve.”

Recent polls of potential voters show a statistical tie between DeSantis and Christo, with both candidates’ approval ratings falling within margin of error. Of her 1,626 voters surveyed in a poll commissioned by AARP, 50% said they would vote for her DeSantis and 47% said they would choose Crist. The 3-point difference between the two candidates is within the poll’s margin of error of 4.4 percentage points. Voters over the age of 50 were overrepresented in the polls. DeSantis led her by 7 points in that group.

Democratic voter Ken Waring, 72, voted for Christo in the primary and plans to vote for him again in the general election. “I think he’s calm and honest.”

Betsey Johnson, a 59-year-old Republican voter, says DeSantis has both her vote and that of her husband, who is a registered Democrat.

“As Governor DeSantis says, the way we are teaching our children is fighting for our freedom. I’m more interested in that,” she said. “My husband is a Democrat and she’s for it.”