Turnout will determine victory
By Jodi Yonder
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee– Before dawn, Charlie Crist bounds out of his white Yukon into the crowd of floats, dance teams and bands lined up for the Florida A&M University Homecoming parade. Like a rock star, he’s immediately surrounded by participants and spectators clamoring for selfies. “Hey, how ya doing? Are you ready for the parade? This in one of my favorites! I can’t wait for the 100,” Crist says grinning, as everyone smiles and laughs.
Easily Florida’s most gregarious governor, Crist is in a very familiar place moving with ease among the thousands of FAMU fans who cheered him all along the parade route. Riding on the back of a 1982 Mercedes convertible coup, Crist rocks and waves in time to Aretha Franklin’s Respect. He tells the owner, former City Commissioner Gil Ziffer, to “Turn that up.” Parade goers run up to the car repeatedly for selfies. Crist gets out of the car and goes into the crowd to take pictures. Over and over, they say, “You got my vote Charlie Crist!” And “You have to beat DeSantis.” Into tailgates he visited with supporters again, surprising FAMU fans who were all smiles.
Crist is everywhere in a nonstop blitz across the state. North to south and back up to North Florida.
The visit to rural Havana the week before drew a crowd of over 250 voters who were updated on voting information from national elections expert Ion Sancho. Crist and Congressman Al Lawson were headliners at the event that also featured a step show and gospel choir. Lawson’s congressional district was eliminated in an unorthodox move by DeSantis. Lawson is running in his old district now against a Republican. Based on the DeSantis record, Lawson says,” Black people are under attack by Ron DeSantis. He does not like Black people.”
The fact that DeSantis does not have a fan club among Blacks is no surprise. He supported anti protest laws, voter suppression legislation and banned the public-school discussion of gender and nation’s racist history. His cruelty and sour disposition are a stark contrast to Crist who relishes campaigning and engaging people. But the Crist record is known among people of color because he restored voting right to returning citizens and made it easier to vote. That was made clear when he passed the parade reviewing stand and the MC called him “Our forever Governor.” The crowd roared.
