Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is trying once again to make a comeback, but he’s picked a different office. He has decided to run for Congress to represent the state’s 13th district in the House of Representatives.
Crist, who will run as a Democrat, made the announcement today in a part of St. Petersburg that might be included in the district when it is finally redrawn. The Tampa Bay Times notes that the new boundaries should make the district heavily Democratic.
“We have a problem in Washington, there's no question about it. Washington does not listen to the people. Unfortunately Washington bickers with itself,” Crist told the 40 supporters that showed up, reports the Sun-Sentinel.
Crist was the Governor of Florida for one term, from 2007 to 2011 as a Republican and once once considered a possible star on the national stage for the GOP. However, his career trajectory tumbled when he suddenly decided to run for Senate after his first term in Tallahassee.
After losing the Republican nomination to Marco Rubio, Crist ran as an independent and ultimately lost the general election to Rubio. Last year, he tried to return to the Florida Governor’s office as a Democrat, but lost to incumbent Gov. Rick Scott.
Florida’s 13th Congressional district is currently represented by Rep. David Jolly, who is running for the Senate seat that Rubio might vacate since Rubio is now running for president. Jolly also expects to lose his seat in November because of the redrawn boundaries.
Crist will likely be criticized for running again, but he insisted that public service “is in my heart,” adding “I can’t help it.”
Eric Lynn, a former official in the Obama Administration, is already running for the same seat.