Charlie Crist, former Fla. GOP governor, endorses Obama
Charlie Crist, now an independent, has endorsed Obama and will speak at the DNC.
Former Republican Governor Charlie Crist of Florida has given his endorsement to the Obama campaign’s re-election effort. Here, Crist (R) introduces President Barack Obama during a Town Hall Meeting at the Harborside Event Center February 10, 2009 in Fort Myers, Florida.
President Obama just picked up a big endorsement for his reelection bid in a must-win state. Florida's former Republican governor Charlie Crist said Monday that Obama was "the right leader for our times," reports The Miami Herald.
“President Obama has a strong record of doing what is best for America and Florida,” Crist wrote in an op-ed column in Sunday’s Tampa Bay Times, “and he built it by spending more time worrying about what his decisions would mean for the people than for his political fortunes. That’s what makes him the right leader for our times, and that’s why I’m proud to stand with him today.”
Crist shed his Republican party label when he dropped out of the 2010 Republican Senate primary and ran as an independent. Crist lost the race to Tea Party favorite Marco Rubio.
NBC News reports there is widespread speculation that Crist will return to politics as a Democrat and possibly challenge the Republican currently residing in the Governor's mansion, Rick Scott.
In his op-ed, Crist criticized the current state of the Republican party, saying "an element of their party has pitched so far to the extreme right on issues important to women, immigrants, seniors and students that they've proven incapable of governing for the people."
"The truth is that the party has failed to demonstrate the kind of leadership or seriousness voters deserve," he continued.
Crist also accepted a speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention next week in Charlotte, NC, but Democratic officials said the exact schedule of speakers has not been decided yet.
Crist's breaking ranks and endorsing President Obama did not sit well with some Republican party leaders. Florida Republican Party Chairman Lenny Curry called Crist’s endorsement “a repugnant display from a self-centered, career politician," reports the Washington Post.
Curry also pointed out instances when Crist had criticized the president in the past, quoting Crist in 2010 as saying "I don't agree with the guy on hardly anything he does," according to a press release put out by Curry's press secretary.