Charlie Crist

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Charles Crist, Jr.
44th Governor of Florida
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 2, 2007
Lieutenant	Jeff Kottkamp
Preceded by	Jeb Bush
35th Attorney General of Florida
In office 2003 – 2007
Governor	Jeb Bush
Preceded by	Richard E. Doran
Succeeded by	Bill McCollum
Born	July 24, 1956 (1956-07-24) (age 52) Altoona, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Amanda Morrow (1979-1980) (divorced) Carole Rome (2008-present)
Residence	St. Petersburg, Florida
Alma mater	Florida State University, Cumberland School of Law
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Methodist
Website	flgov.com

Charles "Charlie" Crist, Jr. (born July 24, 1956) is an American politician of the Republican Party and the current Governor of Florida. He was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida at age 4.

A graduate of Florida State University, Crist has served as a state education commissioner, a member of the Florida State Senate, and had unsuccessfully sought to replace U.S. senator Bob Graham. He was elected Florida Attorney General in 2004, and held that office until his election as governor. As attorney general, he was noted for his involvement in the Terri Schiavo case, where he broke with governor Jeb Bush on pursuing legal options to preserve her life as well as his efforts to expand the authority of his office to prosecute civil rights violations and protect the environment.

He was elected governor in 2006 with 52.4% of the vote (against opponent Jim Davis), and has taken conservative positions on a broad range of social issues, including support for bans on gay marriage, adoption by gay people, gun rights, and capital punishment. He has diverged from Republican orthodoxy on fiscal management and environmental policy, particularly while working with the Obama administration on the federal stimulus package, opposing some forms of offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and using state funds to purchase land in an effort to restore the Florida Everglades. He has also been credited with fostering better relationships with minority communities, particularly the African-American community.

Governor Crist gained a measure of prominence nationwide by taking an active role in the 2008 presidential election, both for endorsing and campaigning for Republican candidate John McCain and for a political controversy sparked when he signed a bill moving the presidential primary date in Florida to January 29, 2008.

While his term as governor ends in January 2011, Crist announced on May 12, 2009 that he will not run for re-election as governor and instead will run for the US Senate.

Contents 1 Personal life 2 Early career 3 Florida attorney general 4 2006 gubernatorial campaign 5 Record as governor 6 Political activity 6.1 2008 presidential election 6.2 Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami 6.3 Outrage documentary 6.4 2010 Senate candidate 7 Electoral history 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Personal life

Crist was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania^[1] on July 24, 1956 to Dr. Charlie Crist Sr., an American physician of Greek Cypriot descent, and Nancy Lee, of Scotch-Irish American descent. Often mispronounced today as "Christ", his family name is adapted from the original Greek name "Christodoulou".^[2] Crist moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, as a child, where he attended Riviera Middle School^[3][4] and graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1974. He is the second of four children and has three sisters: Margaret Crist Wood, Dr. Elizabeth Crist Hyden and Catherine Crist Kennedy.^[5] He attended Wake Forest University for two years, where he played quarterback for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team. Crist earned his undergraduate degree from Florida State University where he was elected Vice President of the student body and was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He received his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law in Alabama.

In July 1979, Crist married Amanda Morrow. The couple had no children and divorced less than a year later.^[6]

Crist became engaged to Carole Rome on July 3, 2008 and was married^{[7][8][9][10]} on December 12, 2008, at the First Methodist Church of St. Petersburg, where Crist is a member.^[11][12][13] Gay rights groups protested the passage of the Florida Amendment 2 (now Article 1 Section 27 of the Florida Constitution) ban on gay marriage outside the church and reception.^[14][15]

[edit] Early career

After graduating from the Cumberland School of Law in 1981, and having passed the bar on his third attempt, ^[16]) Crist was hired as general counsel to Minor League Baseball, which was headquartered in St. Petersburg. Drawn to politics, Crist was a candidate for public office for the first time in 1986, as a Republican in the primary race for a state Senate seat in Pinellas County. After losing in a runoff, Crist joined his brother-in-law in private practice in St. Petersburg, but soon returned to politics as an aide in the successful 1988 United States Senate campaign of Connie Mack, who he has since described as his political mentor.^[17]

He was elected to the Florida Senate in 1992, representing parts of St. Petersburg.^[18] He established a reputation as a law and order senator, sponsoring legislation requiring inmates to serve at least 85% of their sentences before becoming eligible for parole. He even earned the moniker "Chain Gang Charlie" in some editorials for sponsoring a bill to re-establish chain gangs.^[1] He also supported teacher salary increases, co-sponsored laws that created charter schools, and created a vanity license plate sold to raise funds for Everglades conservation.^[18] As chairman of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, Crist pursued an investigation into then-governor Lawton Chiles amid allegations that his campaign had made "scare calls" to senior citizens days before the 1994 gubernatorial election. Chiles eventually testified before Crist and the committee and admitted that his campaign had made the calls.^[1][17]

Crist gained statewide name recognition in 1998 as the Republican challenger to the popular incumbent U.S. Senator, Democrat Bob Graham. He lost to Graham by 26 percent^[19] but was elected Education Commissioner of Florida in 2000 - a position he held until it became an office filled by political appointment in 2003, pursuant to a 1998 constitutional amendment. ^[17]

[edit] Florida attorney general

In 2002, Crist was elected Attorney General. Supporters of his candidacy included America's Most Wanted host John Walsh, who publicly filed Crist's gubernatorial candidacy paperwork, citing his work with the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. During his tenure as Attorney General, Crist was lauded by civil rights and consumer groups for expanding the powers of his office to prosecute civil rights and fraud cases.^[1] He received acclaim for his work to combat spam e-mails, freeze utility rates, end telecom deception, and protect the environment.^[20] He was strongly criticized by advocates of government intervention in the Terri Schiavo case when he ended official attempts to keep Schiavo on life support.^[1][21]

In September, 2006 Canadian anti-consumer-fraud activist and author Les Henderson criticized Crist's handling of the Lou Pearlman-Wilhelmina Scouting Network affair in his self published book Under Investigation. Pearlman, a former boy-band producer ('N Sync, Backstreet Boys) and modeling agency owner serving a 25 year sentence for a $300 million Ponzi scheme, had been under investigation by the Attorney General's office since 2002, during the term of attorney general Bob Buttersworth. In 2004, the assistant attorney general leading the investigation, Jacqueline Dowd, was dismissed by the office of the Attorney General. Her successor, John MacGregor, ended the investigation in 2004. In later comments, Dowd stated that she did not know why she was dismissed. During the 2006 gubernatorial campaign, Crists' campaign manager commented that she had resigned, amicably, over a difference of opinion on her contact with the press. Henderson, citing $5,000 in campaign contributions from Pearlman companies to Crist received a year after the investigation was complete, argued that the investigation was dropped because of Pearlman's political connections. The Crist campaign responded that decisions on individual investigations were left to statewide staff attorneys and did not involve the attorney general.^[22][23] A lawsuit stemming from the Ponzi scheme and investment scandal alleges that Crist and other state regulators failed to protect investors, and also cites campaign contributions.^[24]

[edit] 2006 gubernatorial campaign

During the fall of 2006, Crist consistently led Democratic opponent Jim Davis in statewide opinion polling and so opted to skip a politically risky appearance with President George W. Bush. Crist had reasoned that the Pensacola area was already firmly in his camp, and instead decided to appear in a more closely contested area with Arizona Sen. John McCain. Davis accused Crist of trying to avoid being associated with the unpopular president, whose job-approval rating stood at 34 percent nationally and merely 29 percent within Florida.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Record as governor

Crist, one of the more popular Florida governors^[25], has taken generally conservative positions on many social policy issues while also receiving criticism from time to time from Florida Republicans for his fiscal approach, for urging bipartisan cooperation - particularly with President Barack Obama, and for the rigor (or lack thereof) of his official schedule.^{[26][27][28][29][30][31][32]}

Staking out a conservative position on social issues, Crist has supported capital punishment^[33][34][35] and gun rights; in 2008 he signed into law a provision that prevents employers from prohibiting employees' bringing firearms to the workplace, as long as the weapons are secure and individuals maintain a concealed carry license. ^[36][37][38] On the other hand, Crist has received some criticism both for his approach to fiscal policy and state spending. In January 2009, when the state was facing the repercussions of the nationwide recession, Crist angered some political allies for vetoing proposed budget cuts to popular programs despite what some thought was a prior agreement in favor of the cuts.^[39] In the same vein, while Republican governors in some other states were rejecting portions of the federal stimulus package Crist spoke in favor of it and for Florida receiving its full measure.^[26] In July 2008, as his office and the legislature grappled with a budget deficit estimated at $2.3 billion, Crist and his fiancee made a 12 day trip to Europe that ultimately cost taxpayers over $430,000 (not including $30,000 paid by business executives). Crist, who characterised the trip as focused on trade and economic cooperation, cited an agreement closed with Spanish firm Renovalia for energy investment in Florida. While the deal had been shepherded in part by the firms American attorney, a brother of US Senator Mel Martinez, according to Martinez the negotiations had stalled until Crist's intervention in Spain.^{[40][41][42][43][44]}

Crist has supported separate efforts to ban gay marriage in Florida, and later signed a bill to that effect, and has also endorsed a prior (and in some respects unique to Florida^[45]) ban on adoption by prospective gay parents - arguing that a "traditional family provides the best environment for children." ^{[46][47][48][49][50][50][51][52]} At the same time, he has appointed the majority of the members of the Florida Supreme Court, including conservative and pro-life judges Charles T. Canady (credited with coining the term "partial-birth abortion" while crafting the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act)^[53] and Ricky Polston (whose automobile license plate reads "Choose Life").^[54][55] Crist subsequently appointed two additional justices to the Florida Supreme Court, James E.C. Perry and Jorge Labarga, who have both been described as moderate.^[56][57]

On other issues, Crist has departed from traditional Republican policy positions - particularly on environmental policy, an important issue in Florida. In July 2007, Crist hosted his first climate change summit in Florida. Crist announced plans to sign executive orders to impose strict air pollution standards in the state, with aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent of the 1990 levels by 2050. Crist's orders would set new emissions targets for power companies, automobiles and trucks, toughen conservation goals for state agencies, and require state-owned vehicles to use alternative fuels.^[58] In his gubernatorial campaign, Crist opposed offshore oil drilling a position he shared with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Crist reversed that position in the summer of 2008, when oil reached peak prices, saying "I mean, let's face it, the price of gas has gone through the roof, and Florida families are suffering, and my heart bleeds for them." ^[59][60] Later that month, in June 2008, Crist gave a keynote address at the "Serve to Preserve" Global Climate Change Summit he hosted in Florida. ^[61] At this same June 2008 conference, Schwarzenegger also gave an address and rebuked politicians who suggested drilling in the Gulf of Mexico as a solution to gas prices, and he stated: "Anyone who tells you this will lower our gas prices anytime soon is blowing smoke."^[62][63] Crist continues to oppose offshore drilling close to the Florida coast, but has advocated research into drilling as far as ten miles offshore.^[64][65] Continuing in a role of environmental advocacy, in June 2008 Crist proposed that the State of Florida buy 187,000 acres of land for conservation, in a landmark deal with the sugar industry. Crist described the deal "as monumental as our nation's first national park."^[66] Despite a competing offer floated in November 2008 for private acquisition of the land and a decrease in proposed financing from $1.75B to $1.34B, the South Florida Water Board voted 6-1 in favor of a final, downsized deal. The agreement, which still faces legal and financing challenges, would give the state 73,000 acres of sugar and citrus plantations for Everglades restoration projects.^[67][68][69]

Crist was the first Republican governor to accept the state's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) invitation to a convention, and has been described as the states' "first black governor." Crist endorsed legislation requiring paper records of all ballots cast during an election, stemming from criticisms from those who believed votes were being undercounted in black communities by computerized voting machines.^[70][71] He has also tackled the states' regulation of the insurance industry, particularly for property (in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina) and health insurance. While new property insurance legislation has proved controversial, particularly the creation of the Citizen's Property Insurance Corp and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (both of which have been described as risky and underfunded), the health insurance reform efforts have been well received - standing next to former football star Dan Marino, Crist signed a law expanding health coverage statewide for autism disorders and he has also signed legislation expanding low-income coverage and creating public-private insurance options in the state.^{[72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84]}

[edit] Political activity

[edit] 2008 presidential election

Senator John McCain played a major role in Crist's 2006 campaign for governor - McCain endorsed Crist and traveled the state of Florida campaigning with him. The day before the Florida general election, Crist chose to hold a campaign event with McCain in Jacksonville, Florida rather than attend a Pensacola, Florida rally with President George W. Bush. A few short months later when the Republican Presidential primary debates were held in St. Petersburg, Florida, Crist physically embraced McCain and was observed as offering a more tepid welcome to the other presidential candidates visiting Crist's hometown for the debate. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who had also campaigned for Crist during the gubernatorial election, had hoped to secure his endorsement to support a campaign strategy that relied on winning the Florida primary. ^{[85][86][87][88]}

In May 2007 Crist signed a bill moving the date of Florida's presidential primary to January 29, 2008. Such adjustments of state primary dates, intended to increase the prominence of an individual states' role in the nominating process of the major political process and known as front-loading, are a violation of the primary rules of both major parties. The change prompted the Democratic National Committee to strip Florida (and Michigan, which made a similar change) of its superdelegates and 50 percent of its regular delegates to the Democratic nominating convention, and the Republican National Committee said it would strip 50% of all of the state's delegates.^[89] Crist joined Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm in demanding that their state's delegates be seated at each party's convention. Ultimately, the Democratic National Committee decided to seat all Florida and Michigan delegates while granting each delegate a half vote, and the Republican National Committee came to a similar conclusion.^{[90][91][92][93][94]}

On January 26, 2008, Crist publicly endorsed Senator John McCain in the Republican primary race, saying, "He's a great friend and will do a great job for the United States."^[95] McCain later won the primary by five percentage points, despite being outspent by opponent Mitt Romney. Many credited Crist's endorsement for the win, which gave McCain a leg up going into Super Tuesday.^[96] In May 2008, Crist, along with Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, attended a Memorial Day weekend at Senator John McCain's Sedona, Arizona home. Although the McCain campaign denied the gathering was an opportunity to consider a vice presidential candidate, several press outlets reported that the invited guests were indeed being considered for the number two spot on the Republican ticket. Three months later, in August 2008, Alaska governor Sarah Palin was chosen by McCain for the position.^[97][98][99]

On October 12, 2008 Crist contradicted McCain campaign statements with regard to voter registration for the presidential general election held on November 4, 2008. The McCain camp stated there was widespread voter registration fraud occurring in various states, including Florida, and that a group known as ACORN may be responsible; Crist stated that he believed such reports were "exaggerated" and that he did not have a problem with the voter registration group known as ACORN as it operates in the state of Florida.^[100][101] These contradictions led the press to question if there were problems between the McCain campaign and the Republican leadership in Florida. Some members of the press directly asked Crist if he would be campaigning with McCain in Florida. On October 14, 2008, Crist indicated that his primary responsibilities lay with the people of Florida, saying, "When I have time to help out my friend [McCain] I'm eager and anxious to do so."^[102] The Governor did go on to participate in several campaign rallies several days later.^[103] On October 19, 2008 there were press reports of widespread rifts between the McCain camp and Florida Republican party leadership, rather than animosity specifically between Crist and McCain. ^[104]

Florida is a state that offers early voting to its constituents. On October 28, 2008 Crist extended early voting hours of operation and declared that a "state of emergency exists" due to record turnout of voters and resultant hours long waits at locations throughout the state.^[105] Some Republican operatives were disappointed with the decision, including one anonymous source who said "He just blew Florida for John McCain."^[106] Some election officials in certain counties viewed the extension of hours as an infringement, while other election officials heartily endorsed it.^[107] Various media outlets and observers speculated that Crist made the decision out of vindictiveness toward McCain for snubbing him for the vice presidential position, or to position himself for re-election in 2010. Other journalists and photo-journalists documented the lines of elderly and minority voters waiting in line for hours in bad weather. Crist emphatically stated that it was "not a political decision. It's a people decision."^[108][109]

On October 29 and October 31, 2008 Crist made several appearances on MSNBC's Morning Joe in which he told former Florida congressman Joe Scarborough that the race was tightening in Florida.^[110][111] On October 31, 2008 Crist appeared in a McCain-Palin web ad endorsing the senator.^[112][113] However, Crist abruptly left a poorly-attended McCain rally in Tampa on the last day of the race and Crist was a no show at previously scheduled interviews that were to take place after the rally, according to Ed Henry, reporter for CNN.^[114]

[edit] Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami

On November 12-14, 2008 Crist hosted the Republican Governors Association (RGA) annual meeting in Miami, FL. After the resounding Democratic Party win of the 2008 election, where the presidency, along with several house and senate seats were won by Democrats ^[115], there was widespread speculation about the tone of the Republican Governors meeting. Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was a featured participant and speaker. She offered her first press conference since joining the McCain ticket at the post-election RGA meeting and received the majority of media coverage, which led to several Republican Governors making anonymous comments to CNN reporter Dana Bash about their disapproval of how Palin's participation in the conference was handled.^[116][117] Crist spoke about this at length in an interview with Joe Scarborough; during this same interview Crist also made reference to two recent mechanical problems and emergency landings that took place while he was aboard the airplane used to transport him around Florida for state business. ^[118][119]

Crist's speech at the RGA conference entitled "Listen to the Voters and Serve" included his sentiments on how the GOP should evolve:

“

This party can no longer hope to reach Hispanics, African-Americans and other minority groups — we need to just do it. Embracing cultures and lifestyles will make us a better party and better leaders. This desire for inclusiveness is near and dear to my heart.... Last week, the American people made a choice and this week, if we choose to call ourselves leaders, if we truly endeavor to serve with a servant's heart for the people who count on us, then we too must work together, listen to one another and learn from the leaders who made the kind of history the American people deserve.[120]

”

Crist also held a joint interview with Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina and they openly discussed the split in the Republican Party (GOP) over the issue of where to direct the party's next efforts to gain more voters. ^[121]

[edit] Outrage documentary

In April 2009, Crist became one of the subjects in Kirby Dick's documentary Outrage, a Tribeca Film Festival feature about politicians who the film claims are "closeted" and vote against gay rights. This led many in the press to speculate about the veracity of the claims in the documentary and also publicly debate Crist's right to privacy. Some viewed Crist as a victim of "outing" and/or being unfairly maligned. Other mainstream media outlets looked at the movie solely from a political and tactical perspective and reported that the documentary is likely to be referenced in upcoming elections. Political analysts also debated what the appropriate tactical response from Crist should be in light of upcoming gubernatorial and senate races in Florida.^{[122][123][124][125][126][127][128][129][130][131][132][133]}

[edit] 2010 Senate candidate

Crist announced May 12, 2009 that he will not run for re-election as governor in 2010, and instead will run for the US Senate in 2010.^{[134][135][136]} Some opponents in the senate race include fellow Republican Marco Rubio ^[137][138] and Democrat Kendrick Meek^{[139][140][141]} During the 2008 election, Crist was also mentioned as a potential 2012 presidential candidate.^{[142][143][144]}

[edit] Electoral history

Florida Gubernatorial Election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Charlie Crist	2,519,845	52.2
	Democratic	Jim Davis	2,178,289	45.1

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Florida Governor Charlie Crist official state site
• Charlie Crist official campaign site

• Biography at the National Governors Association
• Campaign contributions at Follow the Money
• Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
• "CharlieCristFL YouTube Channel"
• Video with Charlie Crist, WEDU, 30-minute interview
• Dinner with Charlie, Ray and Jeff: 'We work as a team', Miami Herald, November 17, 2008
• Jennifer Santiago One on One Interview with Crist and Tour of Governor's Mansion

Legal offices
Preceded by Richard Doran	Florida Attorney General 2003 – 2007	Succeeded by Bill McCollum
Political offices
Preceded by Tom Gallagher	Florida Education Commissioner 2001 – 2003	Succeeded by Jim Horne
Preceded by Jeb Bush	Governor of Florida 2007 – present	Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by James W. Grant	Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Florida (class 3) 1998 (lost)	Succeeded by Mel Martinez
Preceded by David H. Bludworth	Republican Party nominee for Florida Attorney General 2002 (won)	Succeeded by Bill McCollum
Preceded by Jeb Bush	Republican Party nominee for Governor of Florida 2006 (won)	Succeeded by Most recent

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v • d • e Current statewide political officials of Florida U.S. Senators Bill Nelson · Mel Martinez State government Charlie Crist, Governor · Jeff Kottkamp, Lieutenant Governor · Alex Sink, Chief Financial Officer · Bill McCollum, Attorney General · Charles H. Bronson, Commissioner of Agriculture Senate Jeffrey Atwater, President · Alex Diaz de la Portilla, Majority Leader · Alfred Lawson, Jr., Minority Leader House Larry Cretul, Speaker · Adam Hasner, Majority Leader · Franklin Sands, Minority Leader Supreme Court (appointed) Peggy Quince Chief Justice · Barbara Pariente · R. Fred Lewis · Charles T. Canady · Ricky Polston · Jorge Labarga