DeSantis Targets Crist’s Support for Vaccine Passports

Republicans have struggled to regain the momentum that GOP 2022 midterms primary candidates had in March when inflation, the border crisis, and crime had Democrats reeling in anticipation of a red wave in November.

Republicans were confident of winning at least a narrow majority in the U.S. Senate, as much as a 25-35 seat hammer-lock in the U.S. House, and also boosting the number of GOP governors to at least 30 this fall.

Those spring aspirations have since been tempered by a summer surge in enthusiasm among Democrat voters in the wake of June’s U.S. Supreme Court’s repeal of Roe v. Wade, slackening inflation, and a concerted effort in campaign rhetoric and White House messaging to identify former President Donald Trump and his supporters as threats to democracy.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is offering GOP candidates a way to recapture the narrative by reminding voters about how Democrats responded during the 2020-21 pandemic. The tactic is being used in three Florida races, including Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ re-election campaign against challenger Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Tampa).

A refocus on lockdowns, shutdowns, economic upheaval, and the angst that fueled the speculative red wave to begin with could also be effective stump points in the final weeks, the RNC maintains, especially when offenders’ own stances and statements can be used against them. That is especially true when it comes to Crist, a 30-year career public official with plenty of verbiage to vet.

In a Sept. 13 Twitter post, the DeSantis War Room linked to a May 14, 2021 ‘Good Morning America’ clip. On it, Crist, who just announced he was running for governor, was interviewed by ABC co-hosts Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes.

When Robach asked Crist, “Where do you stand on vaccine passports and businesses?” he immediately responded: “We should have vaccine passports. I

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