From the “man hug” to full embrace, former Gov. Charlie Crist on Sunday urged voters to support President Barack Obama in the crucial swing state where the Democratic incumbent and Republican candidate Mitt Romney remain in a razor-thin race.
In an op-ed piece in the Tampa Bay Times, Crist further distanced himself from the party he stepped away from two years ago, saying Republicans have moved too far to the right and have alienated middle-class Americans, women and minorities.
“I’m confident that President Barack Obama is the right leader for our state and the nation,” Crist wrote. “I applaud and share his vision of a future built by a strong and confident middle class in an economy that gives us the opportunity to reap prosperity through hard work and personal responsibility. It is a vision of the future proven right by our history.”
The GOP response to Crist’s announcement was swift and predictable, with Republican Party of Florida Chairman Lenny Curry branding Crist as a turncoat and opportunist who was only concerned about his own political future.
He also blasted Crist’s timing, which came hours after Republican officials announced they were calling off Monday’s activities at the Republican National Convention because Tropical Storm Isaac was churning its way toward the state.
“Despite the threat Florida is facing from a severe storm, Charlie Crist has demonstrated, yet again, that his political ambition will always come before the needs of Floridians,” Curry said in a statement released Sunday morning.