Karla Hernandez-Mats selected as Charlie Crist’s running mate

The gubernatorial nominee made the announcement Saturday morning.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Gubernatorial nominee and former Florida governor Charlie Crist chosen Karla Hernandez-Mats, the lecturers union president in Miami, to be his operating mate on Saturday.

Hernandez-Mats, 42, at the moment serves as president of United Lecturers of Dade and a vp of the American Federation of Lecturers.

The Miami Herald stories Hernandez-Mats is a first-generation American of Honduran descent and was born in Miami. She has mentioned she realized the significance of labor advocacy as a result of her father had few rights as a farmworker after having been an accountant in his residence nation.

She holds a bachelor’s diploma from Florida Worldwide College in emotionally handicapped training and a grasp’s diploma in enterprise administration from St. Thomas College.

The “particular occasion” was held at Hialeah Center College, the place Hernandez-Mats labored for greater than ten years instructing kids with particular wants.

Hernandez-Mats was the primary Hispanic to be elected to steer the United Lecturers of Dade in 2016. The college district has greater than 30,000 workers and greater than 330,000 college students. The American Federation of Lecturers says Hernández-Mats helped lead an effort to carry a 2018 referendum during which voters authorised a pay elevate for public faculty lecturers.

In 2010, she was picked as Trainer of the Yr at Hialeah Center College for her work with particular wants kids.

Hernandez-Mats advocated delaying college students’ return to high school within the fall of 2020 and persevering with masks mandates in 2021, in defiance of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration. She has additionally been crucial of what opponents have dubbed the “Do not Say Homosexual” legislation, which prohibits classes on sexual orientation and gender identification. 

DeSantis additionally took motion to punish faculty districts that enacted masks mandates in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, he eliminated 4 Broward County faculty board members after a grand jury report on the 2018 Parkland highschool taking pictures accused them of deceit and incompetence in dealing with a faculty security program.

RELATED: DeSantis: 4 Broward faculty board members suspended for ‘neglect of responsibility’ after Parkland taking pictures

That is Hernandez-Mats’ first run for public workplace.

Charlie Crist started his political profession as a Republican, serving within the Florida Senate, as Florida Training Commissioner and Florida Lawyer Basic. He served as Florida’s governor from 2007-2011 and joined the Democratic celebration in 2012 after endorsing former President Barack Obama for reelection.

In 2016, Crist flipped a Republican seat and was elected because the Democratic Congressman for Florida’s thirteenth District.

RELATED: California Gov. Newsom on DeSantis: ‘I do not like bullies,’ donates $100K to Crist

Throughout his time as Florida’s forty fourth governor, he led Floridians via the Nice Recession and the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill.

Crist is operating on the promise to “construct a Florida for all Floridians.” He’s been endorsed by U.S. Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Miami Sen. Jason Pizzo and Democratic Rep. Kevin Chambliss. All have been outspoken critics of present DeSantis.

He has pushed for voting rights — undoing DeSantis’ limitations on mail ballots, lowering gun violence via stricter gun security legal guidelines and girls’s abortion rights.

Latest news
Related news