Charlie Crist Picks Annette Taddeo-Goldstein as Running Mate

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist has name Miami-Dade Democratic Party chairwoman Annette Taddeo-Goldstein as his running mate.

Crist made the announcement Thursday during a press conference at the Lab Miami.

Taddeo-Goldstein was her party's nominee for Congress in an unsuccessful campaign against Republican incumbent Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in 2008.

"It is worth it, we need a change in Tallahassee and the people need a voice so I am very excited and I am ready for it. We are ready for it," Taddeo-Goldstein said.

She also formed and runs her own business, LanguageSpeak, which offers translation services and tutoring in more than 100 languages.
 
"Annette is a remarkable woman and a classic American success story," former Gov. Crist said in a prepared statement announcing the decision. "She will make an excellent lieutenant governor because as a working mom she knows Florida families are struggling to pay their bills, raise their kids, and save for retirement  and because she believes, as I do, that all Floridians deserve a fair shot at success."
 
Taddeo-Goldstein was born in Colombia to an American father and Colombian mother and spent the first 17 years of her life in the South American country.
 
The pick comes less than six weeks ahead of the Democratic primary against former Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich. Crist was a lifelong Republican until running for Senate as an independent in 2010. He first registered as a Democrat less than two years ago.
 
If Crist is the party's nominee to face Republican Gov. Rick Scott, the choice might also help with two key constituencies: women and Hispanics.
 
Crist was a lifelong Republican until running for Senate as an independent in 2010. He first registered as a Democrat less than two years ago.

Republican Anitere Flores was at the event to provide the GOP response and said, "It does no matter who Charlie Crist picks, that's not going to take away from his record. It's not going to take away from the very clear fact that when this state, when Floridians needed a leader, when Floridians needed someone to help them, Charlie Crist abandoned them for his own personal ambition."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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