Florida voices call Crist's selection of Karla Hernández-Mats as running mate 'extraordinary pick'

Rep. Charlie Crist has announced that he’s selected teacher’s union president Karla Hernández-Mats as his running mate in his bid to win Florida’s gubernatorial race. Hernández-Mats is a former special education teacher and the first Latina president of United Teachers of Dade, Tampa Bay Times reported.

The report said Hernández-Mats spoke of her background during a rally this past weekend, as a daughter of Honduran immigrants who arrived to the U.S. more than four decades ago. Her mom was a secretary. Her dad was a former farmworker who picked sugarcane in the Everglades until he became a unionized carpenter. While she has not held elected office before, “[t]he selection of Hernandez-Mats ensures a Crist campaign focus on education,” NBC News reported.