It’s not uncommon for political newcomers to make blunders that leave you asking, “what were they thinking?”
But it’s entirely different when the misstep is made by a veteran politician who has run three campaigns for Governor, three Congressional, and one for U.S. Senate.
And you’ll be sick to your stomach when you find out what Ron DeSantis’ 2022 opponent just asked hurricane victims to do.
The Governor’s race the entire country is watching
Ron DeSantis is running for re-election for Governor in Florida.
His Democrat opponent is no stranger to running for office himself, Charlie Crist.
Crist is a Republican turned Independent turned Democrat, with a long resume, as a current Congressman, former Governor, former Attorney General, and former Education Commissioner – all in Florida.
As an independent candidate during the Tea Party movement of 2010, Crist came in a distant second place to Marco Rubio in a U.S. Senate three-way race.
However, when he previously ran to be Governor again, this time as a Democrat, Crist fell to Rick Scott by just a single-point.
After three terms in Congress, the man who can’t seem to go away defeated troubled candidate, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried by 25-points in the Democrat Primary for the right to face DeSantis in a general election for Governor.
Fundraising from hurricane victims
With so much experience, it’s hard to believe what Crist just did.
WATCH: Democrat @CharlieCrist's campaign prompts Floridians who "suffered damage from Hurricane Ian" to "take the next step and make a quick donation" pic.twitter.com/ZKohd27Oiw
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) October 4, 2022
Following the deadly Hurricane Ian, Charlie Crist sent out a fundraiser asking hurricane victims to “take the next step” and donate to his campaign.
In a tweet, the Crist campaign asked victims of Ian to “Share your story: Florida Property Insurance.”
“If you have paid thousands in premiums under Ron DeSantis, only to have your home insurance coverage not be there for you when you need it most, we want to hear your story,” Crist tweeted.
A link on the tweet takes users to Crist’s campaign website, prompting potential victims of Ian to share hardships dealing with the tumultuous insurance market.
Once the user fills out and submits the form, the user is promptly asked to donate money.
“Now, if you’re able, can you take the next step and make a quick donation?” Crist’s website shockingly asks.
While the optics of asking new victims of a devastating hurricane to donate to your political campaign are terrible, one look at the polling in the Sunshine State and you can understand Crist’s need to bring in every penny he can.
America’s Governor currently leads the party hopper in the RealClearPolitics average by 6.3-points.
And the trend line is even worse for Crist.
In August, DeSantis was only leading by three to four points in the polls.
However, in the three most recent surveys the incumbent has led the challenger by seven, eight, and 11-points respectively.
