Crist resigns Florida congressional seat
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Democrat Charlie Crist resigned his seat in Congress on Wednesday, turning his full-time focus to his campaign aimed at unseating Florida Republican Gov. Ron Desantis in November.
Crist served as Republican governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011. He later switched parties, challenging and losing to Republican Gov. Rick Scott in 2014. Crist has represented a Pinellas County district, which includes his St. Petersburg hometown since 2016. He won the Democratic primary for governor last week, easily dispatching rival Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner and lone statewide elected Democrat.
Crist is following Desantis’
lead by quitting early, after a primary win. Desantis four years ago resigned his Palm Coast congressional seat just days after winning the Republican nomination for governor over the state’s then-agriculture commissioner, Adam Putnam.
Both Crist and Desantis stepped away from Congress and $174,000 annual salaries after completing nearly three terms.
Despite the near identical actions by the two men, Republicans saw no hypocrisy in still condemning Crist’s action.
“Charlie Crist treats taxpayer-funded jobs like a game of musical chairs,” said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Julia Friedland. “Floridians can’t wait to cut the music on his career for good in November.”
The 13th congressional district now represented by Crist was dramatically changed by Desantis and Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature during once-a-decade redistricting this spring. Instead of a Democratic-leaning district, it is now more likely to elect a Republican.
Although a court ruled that the congressional plan is unconstitutional because of the way it eliminates a North Florida district now held by U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat, and scatters 370,000 Black voters across four districts, that map is still in place for this fall’s elections, while the state appeals.
In the 13th district, Democrat Eric Lynn, endorsed by Crist is facing Republican Anna Paulina Luna, who is backed by former President Donald Trump.
Contributing: Associated Press