“Like it!” mentioned state Sen. Shev Jones (D-Miami) in a textual content. “I believe it’s a considerate and shiny transfer. Karla has ALWAYS had her ear to the bottom for individuals, and she or he’s a pure galvanizer. Nice decide!”
Florida Sen. Jason Pizzo, additionally a Miami Democrat, described her as “shiny, heat and hard.”
Since 2016, Hernández-Mats has served as president of the United Lecturers of Dade, which touts itself as the biggest academics union within the southeast. She can also be on the governance board of the Florida Training Affiliation, which is the state’s largest trainer’s union.
FEA assist of Crist performed a pivotal position within the main. The group not solely endorsed him, however pushed for the remainder of the state’s labor group to observe go well with with a main endorsement, at the same time as some didn’t wish to endorse earlier than the final election. It led to a contested struggle in the course of the AFL-CIO’s summer time conference in Orlando, which Crist in the end gained.
“We’re thrilled by Charlie Crist’s selection for his working mate. Karla Hernández-Mats shall be an excellent lieutenant governor of and for all of the individuals of Florida,” Florida Training Affiliation President Andrew Spar mentioned. “She’s a mother with two children in our public faculties, a trainer centered on college students with particular wants, and cares deeply about kids, households and communities.”
Crist’s decide ensures training will stay on the forefront of the race, particularly since faculties have been the primary focus of DeSantis’ coverage and political agenda. Democrats have been hyper-critical of DeSantis as he has labored to remake Florida’s training system, together with championing laws banning the instruction of gender identification and sexual orientation in school rooms as much as third grade, placing intense scrutiny on the approval of classroom textbooks and hammering crucial race concept, an educational philosophy that focuses on systemic racism. DeSantis opposes its educating in state Ok-12 faculties, although it’s not, and his administration has paid $700,000 to a agency that as a part of its enterprise mannequin teaches governments the right way to incorporate CRT.
Along with his concentrate on training as governor, DeSantis is the primary governor in state historical past to get closely concerned in native faculty board races, that are nonpartisan by legislation. At the very least 20 of 30 DeSantis-backed faculty board candidates gained their Tuesday night time contests.
Training points have energized Republican voters, so the get together is raring to spotlight them within the governor’s race.
“Charlie Crist’s lieutenant governor decide is as tone deaf because the Democratic message right here in Florida,” mentioned Evan Energy, an official with the Republican Celebration of Florida. “In some way, he thinks choosing a union boss who as soon as in contrast dad and mom to armed monsters will assist him with the voters of Florida.”
