U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., right, stands with United Teachers of Dade (UTD) President Karla Hernandez-Mats, left, outside of the United Teachers of Dade offices, Tuesday, May 31, 2022, in Miami Springs, Fla. Crist was endorsed by the Florida Education Association (FEA) and teachers unions from across Florida in his campaign for governor of Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
(MIAMI, Florida)– Charlie Crist, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, announced Karla Hernández-Mats as his running mate in his race against Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Hernandez-Mats, president of United Teachers of Dade since 2016, and a veteran teacher is a Miami native, of Honduran descent.
In 2010, Hernandez-Mats earned Teacher of the Year at Hialeah Middle School for her work with special needs children.
She is also on the governance board of the Florida Education Association, the largest teacher’s union in Florida.
Crist made the announcement, Saturday at 10:30 a.m. during a rally in Miami, officially kicking off his campaign for governor of Florida.