{"id":1624651,"date":"2022-08-28T09:03:04","date_gmt":"2022-08-28T13:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1624651"},"modified":"2022-08-28T09:03:59","modified_gmt":"2022-08-28T13:03:59","slug":"charlie-crist-selects-miami-teachers-union-leader-as-running-mate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/charlie-crist-selects-miami-teachers-union-leader-as-running-mate\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlie Crist Selects Miami Teachers Union Leader as Running Mate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcharlie-crist-selects-miami-teachers-union-leader-as-running-mate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1624651&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div id=\"speechkit-wrapper\" class=\"speechkit-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"speakable\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/us-regions\/southeast\/florida\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Florida<\/a> Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist has selected the president of the Miami-Dade County teachers union to be his running mate, placing education at the forefront of his campaign as he seeks to defeat incumbent GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis in November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernandez-Mats was announced as Crist&#8217;s running mate on Saturday during a campaign event held in Miami.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This guy&#8217;s the opposite of freedom,&#8221; Crist said of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/ron-desantis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gov. DeSantis<\/a> shortly after taking the stage to speak to supporters. &#8220;We are for real freedom. Freedom for all of you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m excited to introduce to you a wonderful person,&#8221; Crist said. &#8220;Karla is an amazing person. She really is.&#8221; Describing her as a &#8220;loving&#8221; and &#8220;compassionate&#8221; teacher during his introduction of Hernandez-Mats, Crist said, &#8220;You know her, I love her, meet the next lieutenant governor of Florida, Karla Hernandez.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/crist-praises-biden-says-president-phenomenal-cant-wait-have-support-florida\"><strong><u>CRIST PRAISES BIDEN, SAYS PRESIDENT IS \u2018PHENOMENAL\u2019 AND HE \u2018CAN\u2019T WAIT&#8217; TO HAVE HIS SUPPORT IN FLORIDA<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 767px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>\n      Charlie Crist, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Florida, speaks during a primary night party in Saint Petersburg, Florida, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022.<br \/>\n      <span class=\"copyright\">(Thomas Wheelock\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Are you tired of the culture wars and the extremists that are dictating what we can&#8217;t say and do,&#8221; Hernandez-Mats asked the crowd upon taking the stage. &#8220;Are you sick of politicians who act like authoritarians trying to tear apart our democracy? \u2026 That&#8217;s why we are here today. To defeat Ron DeSantis and bring decency and respect back to the state of Florida.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am so honored to be joining this team, the winning ticket,&#8221; she added. &#8220;It&#8217;s the opportunity of a lifetime to fight next to Charlie as your next lieutenant governor.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Describing herself as a &#8220;proud union member,&#8221; Hernandez-Mats claimed, &#8220;It&#8217;s been dark, but we&#8217;re gonna bring the sunshine back&#8221; to Florida.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Everything is on the ballot this November,&#8221; she said. &#8220;If you care about freedoms and you care about women&#8217;s freedom to choose and have autonomy over their body, I need you to vote. If you care about protecting people&#8217;s freedom and making sure they have access to vote, I need you to take a friend and go out and vote.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;s first Hispanic leader when she was elected as president.<\/p>\n<p>Hernandez-Mats, a vocal critic of actions taken by DeSantis in recent years, pushed back on his attempt to re-open schools in the Sunshine State amid the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/infectious-disease\/coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> and insisted schools should not be re-opened until &#8220;the safety of our community is secured.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 767px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1415452353.jpg\" alt=\"Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., claimed he \" is going to beat \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>\n      Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., claimed he &#8220;is going to beat&#8221; DeSantis for the Florida governorship this November.<br \/>\n      <span class=\"copyright\">(Joe Raedle\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/crist-slams-desantis-voters-after-winning-florida-gubernatorial-nomination-i-dont-want-your-vote\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CRIST SLAMS DESANTIS VOTERS AFTER WINNING FLORIDA GUBERNATORIAL NOMINATION: \u2018I DON\u2019T WANT YOUR VOTE&#8217;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The notion that reopening our schools is an option because &#8216;if you&#8217;re younger, it just hasn&#8217;t had an impact&#8217; is not only completely contradictory to what we know to be the facts of this pandemic, it is dangerous for our communities at large,&#8221; Hernandez-Mats said in 2020 regarding DeSantis&#8217; remarks, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcmiami.com\/news\/local\/desantis-faces-criticism-for-suggesting-reopening-of-florida-schools\/2218640\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NBC 6 South Florida<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In a tweet issued last November, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KarlaforFlorida\/status\/1457843948978937858?s=20&amp;t=A4JVNxeRTnOoN99c8jYZ_g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">she acknowledged<\/a> that school closures impacted the pace at which students learn, compared to previous years. &#8220;Pacing guides are arbitrary, you are the education professional that knows what your students need,&#8221; she wrote in response to a concerned teacher. &#8220;If you go too fast they may fall farther behind, get demoralized, &#038; heighten their stress.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Hernandez-Mats also drew criticism from residents in Florida last October when she shared a tweet comparing parents who attend school board meetings to prominent, fictional serial killers, including Freddy Krueger from the horror film franchise &#8220;Nightmare on Elm Street&#8221; and Jason Voorhees from the classic Friday the 13th films.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For any of you following the school board meetings, you know that the craziness is real. God be with us,&#8221; she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Hernandez-Mats has also faced criticism for a 2016 tweet that claimed &#8220;many in Cuba&#8221; were mourning and &#8220;most in Miami&#8221; were rejoicing over the death of Fidel Castro, the Cuban dictator who embraced communism and the former Soviet Union and whose economic policies created unrest and havoc in Cuba.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A political figure dies at 90. Most in Miami rejoice, many in Cuba mourn #FidelCastro,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KarlaMats\/status\/802522374641958912?s=20&amp;t=nDdq0hhnFGs_IfHMWBB7lQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">she wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Hernandez-Mats \u2014 the daughter of two Honduran immigrants who came to America in the 1970s \u2014 has also been critical of what opponents have dubbed the &#8220;Don\u2019t Say Gay&#8221; law, which prohibits lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/charlie-crist-declares-battlefield-love-while-desantis-battlefield-hate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CHARLIE CRIST DECLARES HE&#8217;S \u2018ON THE BATTLEFIELD OF LOVE,&#8217; WHILE DESANTIS \u2018IS ON THE BATTLEFIELD OF HATE\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Earlier this week, Crist, a former Republican who has represented Florida&#8217;s 13th Congressional District as a Democrat in the House since 2017, told CNN that he would &#8220;absolutely&#8221; welcome <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/joe-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">President Biden<\/a> to campaign with him in Florida and insisted that Biden is the reason &#8220;gas prices are down.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Look at what he&#8217;s \u2014\u00a0President Biden \u2014\u00a0done for our country. He&#8217;s been exceptional,&#8221; Crist said. &#8220;Look what he&#8217;s done for the world\u2026 what&#8217;s happening in Ukraine, him bringing NATO together, new members to NATO \u2013\u00a0Finland, Sweden. It&#8217;s remarkable. What other president could&#8217;ve done what he&#8217;s done? He&#8217;s been phenomenal. Gas prices are down. Inflation is trending down. Democracy is trending up.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2022\/aug\/23\/florida-election-candidates-desantis-charlie-crist-primary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Crist claimed<\/u><\/a> DeSantis is the &#8220;most arrogant&#8221; governor he had ever seen and called him a &#8220;wannabe dictator.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 767px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1242702009.jpg\" alt=\"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters at a campaign stop on the Keep Florida Free Tour at the Horsepower Ranch in Geneva.\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>\n      Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters at a campaign stop on the Keep Florida Free Tour at the Horsepower Ranch in Geneva.<br \/>\n      <span class=\"copyright\">(Paul Hennessy\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;He\u2019s the most arrogant governor I\u2019ve ever seen in my life. It is shocking, it really is. Enough is enough,&#8221; Crist said, according to The Guardian. &#8220;He\u2019s a barbaric, wannabe dictator.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/apps-products?pid=AppArticleLink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Crist, who defeated his primary challenger Nikki Fried in Tuesday&#8217;s election and served as Florida&#8217;s governor from 2007 to 2011, is slated to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/ron-desantis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>face off against DeSantis<\/u><\/a> in the state when voters head to the polls on Nov. 8 for the general election.<\/p>\n<p><i>The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Kyle Morris covers politics for Fox News. On Twitter: @RealKyleMorris.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist has selected the president of the Miami-Dade County teachers union to be his running mate, placing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1624653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1624651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1624651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1624651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1624651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1624653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1624651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1624651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1624651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}