The View’s Ana Navarro grills Charlie Crist on previous pro-life stance, running mate: ‘What were you thinking?’
On the Friday episode of ABC’s "The View," co-host Ana Navarro ripped into Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist for flip-flopping from his previous conservative platform to his current liberal platform.
On the Friday episode of ABC’s "The View," co-host Ana Navarro ripped into Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist for flip-flopping from his previous conservative platform to his current Democratic platform.
She also grilled him for choosing teachers union boss and alleged Fidel Castro sympathizer Karla Hernandez-Mats as his running mate.
Crist, who is currently trailing in the polls behind his opponent, incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., spoke to the ladies of talk show about his gubernatorial platform and how he plans to win against DeSantis. Though it was Navarro, a longtime critic of Crist, who really held his feet to the fire throughout the sit down.
Navarro began her exchange with Crist by bringing up how much his political affiliations have changed during his career, which involved him running for office in Florida many times. "You ran in Florida 16 times," Navarro began, "You’ve been in 16 elections in the last three decades. In that time you’ve gone from a staunch Republican, to an Independent, to a Democrat."
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"The View" co-host Ana Navarro grills Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist on his flip from a GOP to Democratic policy platform.
She then brought up a robocall Crist produced in 2006 promoting his then-conservative values while he was running to be a Republican governor in Florida. "Your own words, Charlie, have come back to haunt you, have been used against you. You did a robocall in 2006, which was part of a campaign, a Republican campaign against you, and it is now coming up again."
The audio of the robocall was played, with the voice of Charlie Crist saying, "I’m pro-life, I opposed amnesty for illegal immigrants, I support traditional marriage, and I have never supported a new tax or big spending program."
2006-era Crist added, "I support a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage, and I oppose adoption by gay couples, and I work to ensure the right to display the Ten Commandments in public places."
After the tape concluded, Navarro asked, "Those are your words. What would you say to skeptics like me who think you’ve changed parties because you’re a political mercenary and it was out of convenience?"
"How do you convince me?" she pressed. Crist responded, "I changed parties because my party changed." He argued that it began with the rise of the "Tea Party" wing of the GOP, and the problems have "metastasized since then." He added, I couldn’t stomach it anymore." Crist then slammed the Republican Party and Governor DeSantis of becoming so "anti-minority."
Though Navarro wasn’t sold. She pointed out, "actually you were embracing a lot of the policy issues back then that Republicans still embrace now." Crist responded by doubling down on saying the GOP changed.
ST PETERSBURG, FL - AUGUST 23: Florida Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) gives a victory speech after defeating gubernatorial candidate, Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried in the primary election at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront on August 23, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida.Crist will face Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on November 8th in the general election. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
Co-host Sunny Hostin asked Crist if he changed his stances on traditional marriage and being pro-life. He insisted he’s pro-choice, and pro-marriage equality.
Later in the interview, Navarro took Crist to task over his running mate Karla Hernandez-Mats, a teachers union boss who once generated controversy for tweeting,"A political figure dies at 90. Most in Miami rejoice, many in Cuba mourn #FidelCastro."
Navarro couldn’t believe that Crist would choose someone who sympathized with Castro to be lieutenant governor in a state with a large population of people who fled Castro’s communist Cuba. She said, "You’ve been running in Florida since dinosaurs were roaming the earth. You know what the Castro issue – you know what that means in South Florida. You were friends with people, with Cuban American colleagues in the state senate and congress."
"Charlie, what were you thinking?! What were you thinking?!" Navarro exclaimed, clearly exasperated. "Did you vet her? Explain this to me," she added. Crist responded, saying "I think she’s great." He then praised her career as a special ed teacher, "which showed me her heart," and added that "she’s a bit feisty."
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Navarro also grilled the Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Florida for his controversial choice on his running mate. (Photographer: Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)