Charlie Crist is joining calls to cancel Ye’s upcoming concerts at Raymond James Stadium, adding a prominent local Democratic voice to a bipartisan push against the Tampa performances over the artist’s history of antisemitic remarks.
Crist, a former Governor and a current St. Petersburg mayoral candidate, appeared at a news conference at the Florida Holocaust Museum alongside U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, Jewish community leaders and other officials calling for the Tampa Sports Authority to block the shows.
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is scheduled to perform at Raymond James Stadium on June 26 and June 28.
“This is right versus wrong,” Crist said. “My friend, Rick, is right. We need to call it out. We need to show up. We need to stand up and be there to stand up for what’s right, what is fundamentally true, and what we know is evil and wrong.”
Crist’s adds another voice to calls first raised by Scott, who previously sent a letter to the Tampa Sports Authority Board of Directors urging members not to “platform a hateful person pushing evil ideologies” using taxpayer money and calling Ye’s antisemitic comments “an affront to the values of the people of the Hillsborough community.”
Scott also cited the artist’s more recent conduct that includes a 2025 Super Bowl ad directing viewers to merchandise featuring swastikas. He doubled down Monday, bringing a bipartisan group of elected officials and community leaders together to call on Tampa officials to cancel the concerts.
“Just do the right thing,” Scott said. “This is so simple. We should never allow antisemitism anywhere, and we have to stand up against it.”
Tampa Bay NOW has also called for the cancellation of the concerts, urging the Sports Authority Board, Hillsborough County Commissioners, state lawmakers, Raymond James Stadium and local officials to “immediately cancel all support for this concert.”
The group argued that allowing the performances to move forward would send the wrong message at a time of heightened concern over antisemitism.
The Tampa Sports Authority has been caught between the public backlash and contractual concerns surrounding the scheduled performances.
TSA Chair Patrick Manteiga previously told Florida Politics that Scott’s letter triggered a wave of public emails to the authority, including form emails and more personalized messages from residents. But he also warned that canceling the contract based only on objections to Ye’s past statements could expose the authority to legal risk, indicating that they are “probably close to selling out 100,000 tickets.”
Crist’s involvement adds fuel to the fire, particularly as he campaigns in neighboring St. Petersburg. His appearance alongside Scott, who defeated him in the 2014 Governor’s race, Moody and other officials also show that calls to cancel Ye’s concerts over antisemitic remarks are bipartisan.
The concerts remain scheduled for later this month.
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Ed. Note: Michelle Todd Schorsch is the Chair of St. Pete Shines, a political committee backing Crist for St. Petersburg Mayor. Todd Schorsch is married to Peter Schorsch, the publisher of Florida Politics.