Broward elected officials turn out for Charlie Crist
Dozens of Broward County elected officials joined Thursday to announce their support for Charlie Crist’s campaign for the 2022 Democratic nomination for governor.
The Crist supporters included mayors, county commissioners, city commissioners and state legislators.
“Broward County is the Democratic stronghold of Florida. That’s why I’m so proud that these wonderful public servants are here with me today,” Crist said, appearing with 20 of the endorsers at a hotel near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The endorsers included Black, Hispanic, white, male, female, Christian and Jewish elected officials ranging from their 30s to seniors. Crist said it was “a collage right here in front of you. It represents the diversity of our great state.”
Mayor Rex Hardin of Pompano Beach, who was among the local officials who spoke, decried the way they said local officials are disregarded by DeSantis. Mayor Tamara James of Dania Beach said women need a governor who won’t threaten women’s rights to make their own decisions, a reference to the threat to abortion rights. “I find it very offensive and hurtful to so many women who don’t have the ability to choose what is in their bodies or goes in their body,” James said.
“We need to continue to support leadership who has a genuine heart for the people. Not a political agenda, not Democrat versus Republican,” James said.
Crist was critical of DeSantis in several areas, especially his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He said people have always loved coming to Florida — until the state hit No. 1 spots in COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Shortly after his 5-year-old niece started attending a Pinellas County school where masks aren’t required, she contracted COVID-19. A week or so later, his 2-month-old niece also came down with the virus.
“Thank God they’re doing OK,” Crist said.
“This is an incompetent administration. We have a rookie governor, who acts like it and looks like it every day, if not worse. And people are dying as a result. It doesn’t have to be this way. So I’m running for governor of Florida to make a difference and bring Florida what she deserves: A governor with a heart, a governor with compassion. A governor who truly cares about people, all the people,” Crist said.
Thursday’s event underscored the continued importance of Broward County — the largest Democratic stronghold in the state — for candidates running in a statewide party primary. A strong showing could determine the winner of
the Aug. 23, 2022, primary.
A Democratic nominee also can’t win a statewide general election without running up a large advantage in Broward to help overcome more Republican parts of the state.
Thursday’s event was organized by Broward Mayor Steve Geller, a former Florida Senate Democratic leader, who has been a friend of Crist’s since their days as Florida State University students in the late 1970s, and been an ally even during the bulk of Crist’s career when he was a Republican.
Crist has long put a premium on Broward County. For years, he has referred to it as “God’s country.” In 2014, when he won the Democratic nomination for governor, Crist held his primary election night party in Fort Lauderdale. He also made it a home base, renting a condominium on Fort Lauderdale beach during the campaign because he was spending so much time in the region. People frequently reported seeing him at the Publix on Sunrise Boulevard.
He said he hadn’t yet thought about whether he’d do that in 2022.
He ultimately lost the November 2014 election to then-Gov. Rick Scott by 1 percentage point. In Broward, Crist was 38 percentage points ahead of Scott.
From 2007 to 2011, Crist was the state’s Republican governor. He’s now a three-term Democratic member of Congress from St. Petersburg. Unlike 2014, when Crist had a relatively easy path to the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, the 2022 race will be much more challenging.
Also seeking the Democratic nomination is Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who held two South Florida events on Wednesday. In Miami she announced the eradication of giant African land snails from South Florida. In Boca Raton, Fried appeared with state Sen. Tina Polsky and state Rep. Kelly Skidmore to promote legislation to establish a Florida climate change mitigation strategy with the goal of reducing state greenhouse
gas emissions by 50% by 2030, 90% by 2050, and 100% by 2055.
“You are the visionary that the state of Florida is looking for. This is the kind of big, bold comprehensive energy legislation that this state needs,” Skidmore said of Fried.
State Sen. Annette Taddeo, D-Miami, is all but certain to enter the Democratic primary contest. On Wednesday, her Fight Back Florida political committee announced it had hired a roster of media, marketing, fundraising, digital, advertising, polling and campaign management consultants.
“This team is well prepared to guide an integrated message program that ensures we build Florida’s winning coalition into electoral successes,” Taddeo said in a statement.
In 2014, Crist picked Taddeo as his running mate, and they ran together for governor and lieutenant governor.