Charlie Crist announces run for Florida governor

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist announced Tuesday that he is officially running for governor of Florida.

Speaking from his home district of St. Petersburg, Crist said his decision to run for the office he previously held was so all Floridians are represented.

READ: DeSantis suspends all local coronavirus emergency orders effective immediately

“The deck is stacked against the middle class, aided and abetted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Republican allies in Tallahassee. This is a governor who doesn’t listen, who doesn’t care and doesn’t think about you unless, of course, you can write him a campaign check,” Crist said.

With the announcement, the Congressman becomes the first major Democrat to challenge Gov. DeSantis in what is expected to be a crowded field.

READ: ‘We expect better’: Orange County mayor responds to governor’s decision to suspend local coronavirus emergency orders

Crist served as a Republican governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 but did not seek reelection in 2010 when he instead made an unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate.

READ: Orange County sees decrease in daily COVID-19 deaths since vaccinations started

This will be Crist’s second run as a Democrat since losing to now-Sen. Rick Scott in 2014.

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Cox Media Group