Charlie Crist: GOP's 'intolerable' views turned me into a Democrat


Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist says he bolted the Republican Party because it was perceived as being "anti-women, anti-immigrant, anti-minority, anti-gay, anti-education, anti-environment."
Crist, who switched his party affiliation from Republican, to Independent, to Democrat, is trying to unseat Gov. Rick Scott (R) this fall and take back his old job. And in an interview with Fusion's Jorge Ramos on Tuesday, Crist denied that he left his old party because he was afraid of Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. (Crist changed his party ID in 2010 when polls showed Rubio destroying him in a hypothetical Senate primary.) Rather, Crist said he switched sides because the GOP leadership "went off the cliff," and because some in the party had "intolerable" attitudes toward minorities.
"I couldn't be consistent with myself and my core beliefs, and stay with a party that was so unfriendly toward the African-American president," he said. "I'll just go there."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Now that I am liberated as a Democrat, my true soul is able to be seen," he added, "and I couldn't be happier about it."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
Why does Donald Trump keeping showing up at major sporting events?
Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Job hugging: the growing trend of clinging to your job
In the Spotlight People are staying in their jobs longer than ever
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants