Charlie Crist to speak at Democratic convention
(CBS News) Republican-turned-independent former Florida governor Charlie Crist will speak at the Democratic National Convention next week, a Democratic official confirms to CBS News.
"The Democratic convention will be about bringing people together to continue the progress we've made in rebuilding our economy from the middle out, not the top down," a Democratic official said in a statement. "Gov. Crist can personally speak to this, and contrast the president's vision with Mitt Romney's, which caters to the most extreme elements of the Republican Party and undermines the middle class."
The former governor on Sunday officially endorsed President Obama for re-election. In his endorsement, Crist lauded Mr. Obama's handling of the economy, even though he was just two years ago a critic of the president.
Crist abandoned the Republican party in 2010 after losing the GOP primary for the Florida Senate nomination. He went on to run as an independent but lost to Republican Marco Rubio.
Republicans have dismissed Crist's endorsement of Mr. Obama as opportunistic.
