FLORIDA — Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist has officially announced his running mate as Karla Hernandez-Mats. 

The two will hit the campaign trail to work towards unseating Gov. Ron DeSantis during the November general election. 

The office of lieutenant governor is the second-highest executive office in the state. 

Should the governor be temporarily absent from the office, the lieutenant governor will stand in their place. 

Political experts say Crist was looking for a governing partner to share the task of running the third largest state in the country.

With more than 50% of Florida’s population being female, some political analysts are calling Crist’s pick of former teacher of the year Hernandez-Mats as his running mate a smart one. 

Democratic Political Analyst Reggie Cardozo talked more about the selection and its impact. 

“I think, obviously, picking someone in the educational field that you know Crist is sending a message, that’s gonna be a priority for him, you know. I think, obviously, also picking a Hispanic woman shows where his priorities are in this election in the end and should he become governor as he governs as well. I think it was a pick that was a little bit unorthodox, but I like that people can relate to it,” said Cardozo. 

The current lieutenant governor is Jeanette Nunez. She’s held the office since 2019 serving with DeSantis.

She is the first Hispanic woman to serve as lieutenant governor of Florida.

The position pays $125,000 annually.

In 1998, Florida’s lieutenant governor Buddy Mackay served as governor for 24 days when Gov. Lawton Chiles passed away in office. That is the most recent situation in history where the lieutenant governor took over in Florida in the past.