Crist picks Miami teachers union leader, running mate
Newslooks- TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)
Democrat Charlie Crist on Saturday tapped Miami-Dade County teachers union president Karla Hernandez-Mats as his running mate as he challenges Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida.
“I’m excited to introduce to you a wonderful person,” Crist said. “Karla is an amazing person. She really is.” Describing her as a “loving” and “compassionate” teacher during his introduction of Hernandez-Mats, Crist said, “You know her, I love her, meet the next lieutenant governor of Florida, Karla Hernandez.”
“Are you tired of the culture wars and the extremists that are dictating what we can’t say and do,” Hernandez-Mats asked the crowd upon taking the stage. “Are you sick of politicians who act like authoritarians trying to tear apart our democracy? … That’s why we are here today. To defeat Ron DeSantis and bring decency and respect back to the state of Florida.”
“I am so honored to be joining this team, the winning ticket,” she added. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime to fight next to Charlie as your next lieutenant governor.”
Describing herself as a “proud union member,” Hernandez-Mats claimed, “It’s been dark, but we’re gonna bring the sunshine back” to Florida.
“Everything is on the ballot this November,” she said. “If you care about freedoms and you care about women’s freedom to choose and have autonomy over their body, I need you to vote. If you care about protecting people’s freedom and making sure they have access to vote, I need you to take a friend and go out and vote.”
Hernandez-Mats joined the leadership group for United Teachers of Dade in 2013 as the secretary-treasurer. Three years later, in 2016, she became the organization’s first Hispanic leader when she was elected as president.
Crist, a congressman who served as the state’s Republican governor a decade ago, announced United Teachers of Dade President Hernandez-Mats as his pick at a rally in Miami.
The selection of Hernandez-Mats ensures a Crist campaign focus on education, an arena where DeSantis has had considerable success in animating his conservative base through his hands-off approach to the coronavirus pandemic and policies limiting classroom discussions of race and LGBTQ issues.
Hernandez-Mats advocated delaying students’ return to school in the fall of 2020 and continuing mask mandates in 2021, in defiance of DeSantis’ administration.
She is the daughter of two Honduran immigrants who came to the U.S. in the 1970s and was the first Hispanic to be elected to lead the United Teachers of Dade in 2016.
Crist secured the Democratic nomination for governor Tuesday after defeating state agriculture commissioner Nikki Fried.
