Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist has chosen his running mate as he takes on Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in November.
Crist has chosen United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernandez-Mats, a source close to the campaign told NBC 6 Friday.
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WATCH HEREThe decision is expected to be officially announced by Crist at a school in Hialeah Saturday morning.
Hernandez-Mats was a teacher in Hialeah for a decade, winning "Teacher of the Year" before becoming president of the teachers' union.
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United Teachers of Dade is the largest teachers' union in the southeastern United States, according to their website. Before being elected president she was the secretary and treasurer.
The Florida Education Association celebrated the choice saying Hernandez-Mats "cares deeply about children, families, and communities."
Hernandez-Mats has been a vocal critic of DeSantis and his COVID-19 policies, including the reopening of schools and masking.
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DeSantis' political operation successfully supported many school board candidates in the August primary, including in Miami-Dade.
State leaders, led by DeSantis, also banned instruction of gender identity and sexual orientation for students younger than the third grade.
"This is a (image of a middle finger) to parents from Charlie Crist,” wrote DeSantis rapid response director Christina Pushaw on Twitter Friday.
The election is only eleven weeks away. Campaign experts tell NBC 6 Crist needed to pick someone in South Florida who speaks Spanish. Crist is an Anglo from St. Petersburg.
The democratic campaign needed to pick someone who could match current Lt. Governor Jeannette Nunez, who has many ties in the South Florida Hispanic community and speaks Spanish, according to political strategists.
South Florida is going to be a key battleground this November.
Republican voters from northern states are moving and retiring to Florida. South Florida Republicans also have put in years of work in Miami-Dade county, driving more voters to pick the GOP at the ballot box. Those are two factors behind the fact that there are now more registered Republicans in the state than registered Democrats.
