Crist Touts UFCW Endorsement

Florida Rep. Charlie Crist (D) took to social media this week to tout the endorsement he received of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) local 1625 endorsement. Rep. Crist, who formerly served Florida as a Republican Governor, is now vying for the top elected position in the state, again.

In a news release, Ed Chambers, Local 1625 President, praised Crist, calling him “a leader who knows how to deliver results for working families.” Chambers expressed that "from fighting for a $15 minimum wage in Washington to his long-standing support of union workers across Florida, particularly during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, Charlie Crist has always put our workers first, not last."

He further called Crist “a name Floridians know and trust to get to work for us on day one,” adding that “Florida needs a union champion back in Tallahassee.”

On social media, Crist thanked the union for its support, saying that “our vision of a Florida for all  is one where working Floridians and the unions that represent them will always be heard.”

Comprised of "1.3 million hard-working men and women in the U.S. and Canada," UFCW is "striving to push the ball forward and raise standards in the industries we represent," which includes health care, cannabis, grocery, and retail among others.

They are also the second union to endorse Crist after the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) endorsed Crist last November. David Mollett, the AFGE District 5 national Vice President, explained the union's endorsement, saying that "with a proven AFGE voting record and voting in favor of critical labor reform policies such as the PRO Act, Crist is the clear choice for working people in Florida.”

Crist's challengers in the Democratic primary race include Florida's Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) and state Senator Annette Taddeo (D), who formerly ran with him as his Lt. Governor in 2014.