Crist makes GOP election bill centerpiece of early Florida gubernatorial campaign
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist is beginning his bid to return to Florida’s governor’s mansion with a focus on voting rights, an issue that played a big role in his own political career and one he thinks can be an effective cudgel against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Crist, a former Republican Florida governor and current Democratic congressman from St. Petersburg, has been crisscrossing the state in recent days to promote his “Voting Rights Tour.” He’s using the public events to highlight his political resume, including restoring voting rights for more than 150,000 felons during his one term as governor from 2007 to 2011, and echoing Democratic criticisms of legislation passed by the GOP-led state Legislature and signed by DeSantis that supporters say secures Florida’s election integrity, but opponents decry as a coordinated effort to make it harder to vote.
“He’s running for president,” Crist, speaking during a roundtable at Tallahassee’s NAACP regional office, said of DeSantis, who is widely believed to be eyeing a 2024 presidential bid. “I mean, I see what’s going on and it breaks my heart. Florida is not a stepping stone.”
Crist spent much of time at the event denouncing the election bill (SB 90), which was authored by Republican legislative majorities and which DeSantis signed into law during a closed-door ceremony in Palm Beach County that only Fox News was allowed to attend.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/crist-makes-gop-election-bill-centerpiece-of-early-florida-gubernatorial-campaign/ar-AAKUWLa
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