Crist Names Four Black Campaign Co-Chairs In Broward

Miami FL

27 April, 2022

5:26 PM

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By Philippe Henold Buteau, Miami Times Contributor Apr 26, 2022 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist has announced a coalition of co-chairs for his campaign in Broward, a county with one of the highest percentages of Black voters in Florida. The announcement was made at a Fort Lauderdale press conference on Friday. Ten of the 13 co-chairs are either current or former public servants. Four are Black, including Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam, Coral Springs Vice Mayor Josh Simmons, Former Florida State Sen. Perry E. Thurston Jr. and Broward County State Attorney Harold Pryor. The co-chairs are meant to help Crist take back the governor's mansion and beat the other nine Democrats vying to unseat Gov. Ron DeSantis. "I'm honored to have the support of so many public servants across the Broward County area that share our vision of a Florida for all," Crist said. "This level of support in one of the most populated and diverse counties in our state is another sign that the people of Florida are done with Ron DeSantis' divisive, inflammatory politics. We're here today to usher in a new vision of a Florida that actually works for all Floridians." The Black voter turnout rate in Broward in 2018 was 65.1% and the Hispanic voter turnout rate was 54.5%. Vice Mayor of Coral Springs Joshua Simmons talks with Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Charlie Crist at the campaign announcement of the Broward Co-Chair Coalition in Fort Lauderdale on April 21, 2022. (Philippe Henold Buteau for The Miami Times) Messam said his city's voter turnout is comparable to other areas, but Democrats have to find a way to draw out more voters. "With Broward County being one of the largest Democratic counties it's imperative that we have an even higher turnout rate than the 2018 election cycle, because that turnout will be needed to make up for other areas in the state with lower turnout," he said. Messam, a construction company owner, said people often fail to vote because candidates haven't inspired them to do so, but says systemic issues also contribute. "Bills that pass that prevent early voting, prevent organizations from giving out bottles of water," Messam said. "There are more bills making it harder to vote than making it more expansive." He said those unmotivated voters are the ones needed to drive turnout. "Campaigns in the past have not spoken to their issues and to them personally. It's important for campaigns to have an inspirational message," Messam said. The Miramar mayor says he's supporting Crist because he was governor previously, and as a then Republican Crist sided with Democrats on issues like restorative justice and classroom size. "Being a statewide candidate, you have to work with everyone," Messam said. "What makes [Crist] a strong general candidate period, he truly is a public servant. He will not be punitive if someone is of a different party," said Simmons. "He's truly in the interest of Florida. That's someone I can get behind." Simmons cited Christ's informed policies and campaign organization as other reasons for backing the candidate and says Crist needs to generate attention and connect with voters. "We paint elections like they're all the same, (but) every election is different," he said. Simmons also said voters are at a pivotal point this election season because of the way the state Legislature handled redistricting. "We're seeing an erosion of how government is supposed to work ... you can't have one branch give up their authority to the other," he said, and added that he was concerned about state government's intrusion on local municipalities' home rule authority. Thurston said he considers Crist and other Democrats friends, but he believes Crist has the best chance of winning. "He has the best name recognition," Thurston said. "He's polling higher than the others." Thurston also said that Crist needs to talk about what he accomplished when he was in the governor's office: "He committed an executive order to get people their rights reinstated. It helped 10-20 times more people than any governor has done since." Crist, who represents Florida's 13th Congressional district, is trying to win back his old seat as governor, but this time as a Democrat. He served as a Republican governor from 2006-2010. In 2009, Crist introduced Barack Obama in Fort Meyers, Fla. The two hugged and the next year Crist ran for Senate as an independent. He lost to Marco Rubio 48.9% to 29.7%, finishing second above the Democratic candidate. "I would never have a future in my old party again," Crist wrote in his book "The Party's Over: How the Extreme Right Hijacked the GOP and I Became a Democrat." "My bipartisan hopes and dreams, I would discover soon enough to my shock and disappointment, were vastly overstated and hopelessly out of date." In an interview with Stephen Colbert on "The Colbert Report," Crist said he saw vitriol directed at Obama that he never saw directed to any other Democratic president before. Crist ran for governor in 2014 but lost to Rick Scott 48.1% to 47.1%. He's since won three elections for U.S. Congress. For the 2022 gubernatorial race, the Crist campaign has raised more than $3.9 million to date. The Friends of Charlie Crist political action committee has raised more than $4 million. A poll of likely Democratic voters conducted by Floridians for Economic Advancement between March 17-20 showed 43% favor Crist, while 33% picked Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Friedand 15% preferred state Sen. Annette Taddeo. A Crist supporter, who was waiting for the bus outside the campaign event because of car trouble, said he plans to vote for him in the primary and the general election. Enel Jean-Julien, a resident of Lauderhill who voted for Crist in 2014, said one vote could cost someone the election. After receiving his citizenship in 1997 Jean-Julien said he's voted in every election. He called people who don't vote negligent, but suggests the campaign bring on a Haitian to help bring out the Haitian vote. "When you know someone who has a good program, you vote for them," Jean-Julien said. There is no word on when the Crist campaign will name its Miami-Dade County campaign co-chairs. The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.