Charlie Crist's campaign manager was arrested for domestic assault before resignation: report

On Friday, the Miami Herald reported that the campaign manager for Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, who resigned earlier this week, was arrested on a domestic violence related charge just before stepping down.

"Austin Durrer was charged with second-degree assault on Tuesday in Cambridge, Md., according to court records," reported Alex Roarty. "A woman listing the same address as Durrer, Jackie Whisman, was also criminally charged with second-degree assault for an incident on the same date, and Durrer’s name was listed as a 'complainant' in her case in online court records."

"On Thursday, the Crist campaign said Durrer was leaving because of a family matter," the report noted. However, "In a statement released Friday, a Crist spokesperson said the campaign removed him from his position as soon as it became aware of the arrest. 'Mr. Durrer was dismissed as soon as the campaign learned of this situation,' Samantha Ramirez, Crist’s spokesperson, said."

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Durrer and Whisman released a joint statement saying, “Very sadly, an incident took place this week at our home that we both regret. We are both working to drop legal charges and move forward. Our primary focus at this time is our daughter, our greatest joy, and we appreciate privacy and respect as we navigate this as a family.”

Crist, a former Republican governor who was later elected to Congress as a Democrat, is the Democratic nominee against Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The Florida gubernatorial campaign has been relatively low-key, with most political forecasters believing DeSantis is likely to be re-elected to a second term.