U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., announced on Monday that U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Cal., is backing his bid to take on Gov. Ron DeSantis in November.
“I’m honored to receive the full support and endorsement of my colleague and friend, Nancy Pelosi as we work to build a Florida that truly works for all Floridians!” Crist announced.
“I’ve worked with Charlie the past six years in Congress and I’ve seen him fight for Floridians every single day. He always puts people first. He’ll be a champion for women’s reproductive rights, create opportunities for small business owners, and always show empathy and compassion for our working families. It’s a stark contrast to the current governor,” Pelosi said in a video showcased by the Crist campaign.
Crist is leading state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and state Senate Annette Taddeo, D-Miami, in the polls as the Democrats get ready for the primary in August.
Crist won three statewide offices as a Republican including being elected governor in 2006. Instead of running for a second term, he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010 but left the GOP after being caught by Marco Rubio in the primary. Crist continued his bid with no party affiliation but lost to Rubio. In 2012, Crist joined the Democrats and was his new party’s candidate in 2014 when he took on then Gov. Rick Scott. After narrowly losing to Scott, Crist bounced back to defeat U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., in 2016
