Charlie Crist reaches milestone with $1M in March fundraising

Charlie Crist became the first gubernatorial candidate in the Democratic field to collect more than $1 million in a month.

The St. Petersburg Congressman collected just over $1 million in March, according to an announcement from his campaign. That brings Crist’s haul since entering the race in May to $8.2 million. He closed the month with $5.3 million in cash on hand after expenses.

“I continue to be humbled by the outpouring of support our campaign is receiving as we build a grassroots movement to restore compassionate, practical leadership to Tallahassee,” Crist said. “Floridians are tired of Gov. DeSantis’ culture war antics. They want a Governor that will focus on real issues like the exploding cost of living in our state. That’s what our campaign is focused on and why we will win this election. This is only the beginning.”

The boost in resources comes as Crist beefs up his campaign operation. The campaign this month brought on Maurizio Passariello as Hispanic media director and Susan Windmiller as senior advisor for women’s outreach.

Passariello, most recently Hispanic media director for the Florida Democratic Party, also worked as communications director in 2014 for a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana in Florida.

Windmiller, meanwhile, recently oversaw the Miami-Dade Police Department’s intergovernmental affairs. She also has worked in the past as president of the League of Women Voters in Miami-Dade County.

Crist’s campaign touted the support of several unions in the state, including the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1625. The group represents more than 15,000 workers, including 6,000 health care workers, and 5,000 Disney employees. Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Republicans have recently escalated a political war with Disney, one of Florida’s largest employers.

Crist previously served a term as Governor as a Republican. He later ran as a Democrat in 2014 against then-Gov. Rick Scott.

Right now, he faces Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and state Sen. Annette Taddeo, his 2014 running mate, in a Democratic Primary.