Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Charlie Crist in his gubernatorial bid against Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“I’ve worked with Charlie the past six years in Congress and I’ve seen him fight for Floridians every single day,” the California Democrat said in a Crist campaign video.
“He always puts people first,” Pelosi continued of Crist, who is a three-term congressman.”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.”
I'm honored to receive the full support and endorsement of my colleague and friend, @SpeakerPelosi, as we work to build a Florida that truly works for all Floridians! pic.twitter.com/kqHgCsyA1k
— Charlie Crist (@CharlieCrist) April 18, 2022
“Speaker Pelosi is a beacon of Democratic values, and her leadership uplifts the voices of all Floridians that are ready to put divisive, inflammatory rhetoric behind us and truly get to work for the people,” Crist said in a Monday statement, according to Politico.
The California Democrat’s endorsement comes days after gubernatorial candidate and current Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried was widely mocked for apparently creating a sex tape rumor about herself.
“It’s absurd that I have to dignify this, but there is no sex tape,” she tweeted. “Sorry to disappoint. Also sorry basically every successful woman has to deal with these types of rumors.”
It’s absurd that I have to dignify this, but there is no sex tape. Sorry to disappoint. Also sorry basically every successful woman has to deal with these types of rumors.
— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) April 15, 2022
In September, Fried also attempted to paint pro-abortion Crist as “pro-life,” posting an old clip of him talking about his formerly pro-life stances and insisting that she is the “true” Democrat opposing DeSantis.
“I’m the only candidate running for Governor in Florida that’s been pro-choice my whole life and never sacrificed women’s health for political gain,” Fried tweeted. “Think about that and tell me again who Florida Democrats are going to nominate to take on and beat Gov. Ron DeSantis.”
Crist told Fried at the time that it was “unfortunate” that she would attack fellow Democrats at that point in time, as Democrats responded with outrage to a pro-life Texas law.
“Let’s all agree — I certainly do — that the real opponent is Gov. Ron DeSantis and his extremist, anti-choice agenda,” he said. “We need to keep the focus there. That’s why I’m running for Governor.”
DeSantis maintains a significant double-digit lead over any of his Democratic challengers, according to a recent Florida Chamber of Commerce poll.
The Florida governor signed a slew of family-related legislation last week that his office described as putting “families first in Florida.” On Monday, April, 11, the governor signed legislation connecting men with career services and boys with mentorship. On Tuesday, he signed legislation raising payments for relative and non-relative caregivers of foster children, and on Thursday, the governor signed legislation banning abortions after 15 weeks.