Charlie Crist is Florida’s perpetual campaigner. Can he win twice and govern again? [Miami Herald]
The last time
“He said, ‘Steve, I feel like I can beat the money or I can beat the environment, but I can’t beat them both,’ ” Democratic consultant
Crist would be proven right: He narrowly lost after being outspent by then-Gov.
Although he might not admit it, both the money and the environment are worse this year as he makes his third run for
Crist, a moderate 66-year-old former Republican with name recognition, fundraising ability and old-school political instincts, has been pulling in support from
For many, it’s a calculated move: They think Crist has a better chance of beating DeSantis than his opponent in the Democratic primary, Florida Agriculture Commissioner
“He’s like a comfortable pair of boots that will potentially get the job done,” said
Whichever candidate wins, the chances in the general are slim, observers say.
DeSantis doesn’t have the personal wealth of former
Florida’s governor’s race has received national attention because DeSantis is a likely 2024 presidential contender. While he needs to win reelection,
Crist is backed by labor unions and key state lawmakers who point to his recent history as a Democrat. They draw comparisons between Crist’s playbook and Biden’s winning strategy in 2020 as examples of moderation and civility.
Fried, however, has revived criticisms that Crist has faced since he left the
Whether Crist’s skills are relevant in 2022 is an open question.
Schale found Crist’s analysis of his chances in 2014 an articulate summary of what he faces again.
“He described it also as running headfirst into a meat grinder.”
Many roles — and identities
No one serving in public office in
There’s one reason he keeps doing it, those who know him say: He genuinely likes running for office and being in office.
His ability to connect with voters is legendary. His political opponents have remarked at what a nice guy he is.
He even seems to enjoy the parts of politics many candidates despise, such as fundraising and confrontations, said
She’s been in restaurants with Crist when he would hear someone “talking trash” about him. Instead of ignoring the heckler, Crist would engage the person by asking friendly questions or offering a handshake, catching the person off guard.
“I just think it’s in his DNA,” Bohnett said. “I don’t know what else he would do.”
But Crist’s retail political skills have long contributed to a perception that he’s an opportunist or just a typical politician. His leadership style has been described as a “shrewdly timed brand of populism.”
Crist was an attorney and state director for
When Crist was elected at age 36 to the state
He campaigned as the “choice for change” against the longtime Democratic incumbent, and his platform was politically bland: efficient government, quality education, ethics and the environment.
“He plays the game the way it was taught to him by Connie Mack’s people,”
In the Legislature, Crist later seized on the bipartisan national anti-crime wave of the 1990s.
In 1995, he sponsored the Stop Turning Out Prisoners act, which made prisoners serve at least 85% of their sentences. (It passed the
“Criminals can’t commit crimes from behind bars,’’ Crist said at the time.
Crist also got the
Even the
But Crist pursued the issue publicly, even pushing to allow the chain gangs to work alongside highways.
The effort earned him the nickname “Chain
Willing to buck
Crist wasn’t afraid to at times buck his party — gently — on key populist issues.
He publicly supported a woman’s right to an abortion when he ran for office in 1992. He publicly acknowledged climate change. He was also willing to take on utilities and insurance companies, traditionally major campaign donors to
In 1997, he sued
When he was elected governor in 2006, Crist incurred the wrath of insurance companies when he called a special session in 2007 to address a property insurance crisis caused by a wave of hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.
The state, much as it is today, was seeing record homeowners insurance rate increases and companies shedding policies.
Crist was not a detail-oriented policy wonk like his predecessor, Gov.
But Crist understood the big picture — the need to lower rates — and he was willing to challenge
“I think it was a courageous call,” McCarty, a Republican and self-described “free-market guy,” said. “State Farm [in 2009] threatened to leave the state, and Charlie said, ‘Good riddance.’ ”
Rates overall went down the next two years,
‘Consistently inconsistent’ on abortion
At other key times, however, Crist would avoid hot-button topics or change his positions.
When the debate over stem cells was raging, he took a middle-of-the-road position that would offend no one. During the debate over the fate of
And while running for the
Fried has seized on Crist’s inconsistencies on abortion, calling herself the only candidate who has been pro-choice their entire life. She pointed out that Crist appointed
But Crist has won over a diverse coalition in the primary that includes state Rep.
Notably, two organizations dedicated to electing pro-choice women, Ruth’s List and EMILY’s List, have not endorsed either candidate in the primary.
Eskamani said that Crist, despite being a former Republican, has a stronger history on consumer issues than Fried, a former corporate lobbyist who in 2019 angered environmentalists for supporting utilities such as
Eskamani said Crist won her over by frequently asking her advice and absorbing some of her policy recommendations. She said she also noticed his diverse coalition of local
“It’s really hard to find politicians that 10, 20 years later, you still like them,” she said. “That alone says something about his character.”
‘A governor they can like’
In the primary, Crist has avoided criticizing Fried, saying the race is mostly a referendum on DeSantis, whom he’s called a bully and “not the most pleasant person in the world.”
“I think people like having a governor that they can like,” Crist told the Tampa Bay Times’ editorial board last month.
DeSantis, backed by billionaires and a national profile, has more money on hand than Scott did and is more popular with his base than Scott was in 2014.
Regardless of how Crist fares, some believe he’s not going away.
“People ask me, do you think Charlie’s done if he doesn’t win? I don’t,” said Schale, his former adviser. “He’s the phoenix in the ashes. He’s going to bounce back. He’s going to find some outlet.”
©2022 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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