Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday fired back at his opponent, Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., for slamming DeSantis voters.
Crist, who won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination Tuesday, told supporters that he doesn't want backing from DeSantis voters.
He called DeSantis "Anti-Freedom Ron" during a press gaggle in St. Petersburg on Tuesday and claimed DeSantis "doesn't respect your freedom if you're African-American." He also said "those who support the governor should stay with him and vote for him and I don't want your vote. If you have that hate in your heart, keep it there."
DeSantis told Fox News that Crist's criticism of Florida voters was "contemptible" and labeled Crist, a U.S. Representative, a political "chameleon."
Crist started out as a Republican but left the party after losing the 2010 Senate primary to Marco Rubio. Crist ran for the Senate as an independent but lost to Rubio in a three-way race. In 2012, Crist joined the Democratic Party and ran for governor in 2014 but lost to Gov. Rick Scott. In 2016, Crist ran for Congress as a Democrat and won.
"This is his fifth decade running for office. He's a typical career politician," DeSantis told Tucker Carlson. "People support me because I kept the state open and protected their jobs. Charlie Crist wanted it locked down. So that's not hate in their heart. They're just appreciative that they had a governor who was standing up for them.
"Parents around the state support me because we made sure schools were open and we're working to make sure that [students] get education, not indoctrination. That's not hate in their heart, they're just appreciative they have a governor that’s fighting for them.
"I think he is not one to be casting stones," DeSantis said of Crist. "What he says, he claims, that he wants to unify Florida. He says he wants a Florida for all? And then you condemn a majority of people in the state of Florida? Give me a break."
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