The 2022 Democratic Gubernatorial primary race between Rep. Charlie Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has officially heated up with Fried taking a veiled swipe at Rep. Crist over his flip-flopping on Abortion.
The key to winning the Democratic nomination for governor is to win over the Progressive base of the party. Fried is going right after that Progressive vote by trying to position herself as the “pro-choice” candidate in the race, while painted Crist as having “sacrificed women’s health for political gain" for opposing abortions.
"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. Think about that and tell me again who @FlaDems are going to nominate to take on and beat@GovRonDeSantis,” tweeted Fried.
Fried also tweeted a 2010 video of Crist stating that he has always been “pro-life.”
We can't afford to dance around this primary any more. There's just too much at stake. We need to be working on the general now.https://t.co/aKtvIGzACZ
— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) September 3, 2021
“I’m not going to change my stripes. I think that Charlie Crist is a candidate that is a commonsense Conservative and appreciates that there are different views on all issues. I’m pro-life. I’m pro-gun. I’m pro-family, and I’m anti-tax, and I’ve always have been,” said then-Republican Senatorial candidate, Gov. Charlie Crist.
Crist went on to lose his 2010 senate race to now-Senator Marco Rubio, and just a year or so later made the complete transformation from Conservative Republican “Chaingang Charlie” to Democrat Charlie, where he took up the pro-Choice cause.
Fast forward to July 2021.
During the last legislative session before the August congressional recess, Crist told The Floridian that he has “always been laisse-faire about” abortion when we asked him about his change of position on the issue.
The Floridian: What was the name of the bill in the appropriation where they are getting rid of the Hyde amendment?
Crist: It’s already gotten rid of, and I supported it.
The Floridian: Before when you were running for governor and Senate, you were “pro-Life, pro-Gun Charlie, what changed your mind about the whole Abortion issue?
Crist: I’ve always been laisse-faire about it, really have. I remember as a state senator, I voted against the healthcare bill that was going hurt that.
In learning about Crist’s “laisse-faire” position on abortion, Sen. Marco Rubio quipped,” I don’t think Charlie knows what laisse-faire means.”
