Charlie Crist left the GOP over party's racism

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 6 (UPI) -- During an interview on Fusion’s America with Jorge Ramos, Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist, D, cited racism and other intolerant views as the reason he left the Republican party.

Crist, who is running for his old office against incumbent Governor Rick Scott, R, said he felt uncomfortable being affiliated with GOP ideals, which he said are perceived as "anti-women, anti-minority, anti-women, anti-gay, anti-education, and anti-environment.”

He spoke about racism in the party, calling it “intolerable” and a “big reason” why he left, criticizing Republican’s refusal to work together with President Obama.

“I couldn’t be consistent with myself and my core beliefs, and stay with a party that was so unfriendly toward the African-American president, I’ll just go there,” he said. “I was a Republican and I saw the activists and what they were doing, it was intolerable to me.”

Ramos challenged Crist’s motivations for leaving the GOP, accusing him of switching due to his loss to Marco Rubio when he ran for the Senate in the 2010 Republican primary, but Crist said, “No, I left the Republican Party because the leadership went off the cliff.”

“I am liberated as a Democrat, my true soul is able to be seen, and I couldn’t be happier about it,” he added.

Crist currently leads Scott in the polls, who suffers from poor approval ratings. Ramos took Crist to task for flip-flopping, but Crist responded “I’m a Democrat for life, now.”