U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, R-Fla., is drawing fire after naming the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) leadership team.
Earlier this week, U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., the chairwoman of the DCCC, said that the caucus had elected five regional vice chairs, including Crist, to help the Democrats keep control of the U.S. House in 2020.
“If we want to make meaningful progress on the kitchen table challenges facing families across America, we need to fortify and expand our Democratic majority,” said Bustos. “That’s why I’m so proud to announce the DCCC’s regional vice chairs who will help lead our on the ground efforts to win in 2020. I want to thank Reps. Dean, Crist, Moore, Veasey and Peters for stepping up and taking a leading role to get it done. By working together to draw a clear contrast between our work to lower health care costs and the Washington Republicans failed agenda of stripping protections for people with pre-existing conditions, we’ll ensure a better future for all of our families.”
As he starts his new assignment, Crist focused on the DCCC’s Frontline program which aids vulnerable incumbents in swing districts.
“Democrats are laser-focused on getting real results for hardworking families across America,” Crist said on Tuesday. “I’m proud to serve as a regional vice chair at the DCCC because I’m committed to working with our Frontline members and re-electing our Democratic majority in 2020 so we can continue getting the job done for all Americans.”
The NRCC came out swinging at Crist on Thursday, noting that he had been a longtime Republican, even rising to hold three statewide offices, including serving as governor, under the GOP banner while downplaying partisanship.
“When Charlie Crist was Florida’s governor he ran as “the People’s Governor’ and now proudly refers to himself as ‘the People’s Congressman.’ Through his long political career he’s claimed to put ‘people over politics,’ and that being loyal to a political party over the people is wrong,” the NRCC noted. “But it looks like Charlie has ditched this conviction quicker than he’s switched political parties by joining the DCCC’s leadership team with the main goal of electing more socialist Democrats to Congress. So much for putting people over politics, right?”
Camille Gallo, a spokeswoman for the NRCC, bashed Crist’s new assignment and painted the Democrats as socialists, an increasingly common theme for the GOP as it looks ahead to 2020.
“Charlie Crist is going to need a new catchy campaign slogan. By joining the DCCC’s leadership team, Charlie has proven he’d rather be a party boss for the socialist Democrats than represent the people of Florida,” Gallo said.
Crist has been on the Florida political stage for more than two decades, holding three state Cabinet offices as a Republican, In 2010, Crist, then serving as governor and still a Republican, was caught by Marco Rubio in the Republican primary in the U.S. Senate race. After losing ground to Rubio, Crist ditched the GOP to run for the Senate with no party affiliation but lost to Rubio. Crist joined the Democrats after the 2012 elections and was his new party’s candidate to take on Gov. Rick Scott in 2014 but he came up short. Bouncing back in 2016, Crist defeated then U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla. by a slender margin but he easily won a second term last year.
