Charlie Crist’s Wife Receives Sleazy Robocall

Florida governor Charlie Crist and his wife, Carole. Chris Zuppa/Tampa Bay Times/ZUMA Press

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


I just ran into former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, the former Republican who has endorsed President Barack Obama, and his wife Carole, while they were strolling through the Obama campaign event in Chicago. “What’s going to happen in your state?” I asked him.

It’s close, he said. It’s possible Obama can win. Yes, I replied, but if it’s close, shenanigans can come into play.

“Yes, yes,” Crist said. “Listen to what happened to my wife.” He then nudged me in her direction. “Tell him,” he said to her.

It was a phone call, she said. A robocall. it came at 8:15 this morning. Usually, she hangs up on such calls. But this one she listened to. It went something like this: “I’m calling from the supervisor of elections for Pinellas County to remind you that Election Day is tomorrow and you can vote until 7:00 pm.” Tomorrow.

“If you woke up and heard about long lines and heard a call like this,” she told me, “You might think you can wait until tomorrow. How many thousands of calls like this went out? And who made them? I don’t know.” (She was indeed one of thousands in the county who received the same misleading call.)

Well, I said, let’s hope Florida is not another mess. “Yes,” she said. “Let’s.”

THANKS FOR READING. NOW ONE QUICK ASK...

Trump and his allies are clamping down on the press—using lawsuits, lies, intimidation, and the power of the federal government. While major media outlets cave, Mother Jones won’t back down. To help us stand strong, a generous board member just chipped in a $50,000 digital matching gift. Will you help us make the most of it?

Every dollar you give online through September 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

The forces working to demolish trust in the media and the very idea of shared facts are not slowing down. If you believe in kickass, truth-telling independent journalism, now is the time to show it. Please give what you can—any amount—and know that every dollar will go twice as far.

payment methods

THANKS FOR READING. NOW ONE QUICK ASK...

Trump and his allies are clamping down on the press—using lawsuits, lies, intimidation, and the power of the federal government. While major media outlets cave, Mother Jones won’t back down. To help us stand strong, a generous board member just chipped in a $50,000 digital matching gift. Will you help us make the most of it?

Every dollar you give online through September 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

The forces working to demolish trust in the media and the very idea of shared facts are not slowing down. If you believe in kickass, truth-telling independent journalism, now is the time to show it. Please give what you can—any amount—and know that every dollar will go twice as far.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate