Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to seek his old job
(CNN) - Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is looking to return to the state's highest office, according to documents filed Friday with the Florida Department of State.
Crist, who served as a Republican governor from 2007 to 2011, has an event scheduled for Monday in St. Petersburg for a "Major Announcement" where he is expected to formally declare his candidacy.
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The twist? Crist's professed party in the campaign filing Friday is Democrat.
Crist famously separated from the Republican Party during his failed 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate.
At the time, he switched to Independent after he fell far behind in the race against a then little-known Marco Rubio, who went on to become the state's Republican Senator after a three-way race.
The reason for Crist's fall from the GOP was in part his 2009 embrace of President Barack Obama at an event pushing the federal stimulus.
Crist completed his transformation from red to blue when he changed his party affiliation to Democrat in 2012 after backing Obama for reelection and speaking at the Democratic National Convention that year.
"I didn't leave the Republican Party, the Republican Party left me," Crist said on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" at the time, repeating a line he used at the Democratic convention. "Issue after issue they seem to get more strident and more difficult."
Polls have treated the political transition kindly, with potential voters in a March Quinnipiac University survey backing Crist 50% of the time to Republican Gov. Rick Scott's 34%.
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It seems to me, that having a functioning brain and being a Republican would cause incredible internal stress.
Lol... someone is seeing the future of the GOP vanish, as every state for the past 8+ years are becoming more and more democratic in percentage. Even Texas, is said to become a toss-up state in less than 8 years.... And right now, there are many states who used to be republicans, that right now are toss ups that was blue at Obama's latest win. So why isn't he going to run as a Republican? Because HE WANTS TO WORK!
Crist is finding things hard in the private sector, and is hoping to get the good life back as a politician.
The very worst type of politician. Be afraid. Be very afraid of this guy.
Crist was a pi$$y little dweeb when he was a Republican; now he is a Democrat, he can get away with it.
I hope that he wins the Florida Govenor's office again! I have family in Florida and will encourage them to vote for him cause the extreme right has gone out of control. Expand medicaid, legalize marijuana, allow gay marriage and have a sensible rail system in Florida!
I am an Independent. I lived in Tampa 1999-2009. Crist was good at his job, no matter what he calls himself. No matter what he is called, he THINKS about what he's doing. I hope Florida remembers that.
To James:
Saying Reagan was a lousy president is like saying Obama has no dick. You must of eaten both to say something that stupid???????
Republican to Independent to Democrat = Darth Vader to Annakin Skywalker to Luke. Math made easy.
Let's do it right, Charlie, . . . run as a Gay Democrat.
He's showing good sense. Just by choosing to be a republican it's clear that a person is incapable of making rational, intelligent decisions politically. GOP has become an international disgrace.
A weird random thought; what if Hillary and Christie ran on the same ticket. Who'd be on top?
Crist has been an attorney working for the law firm Morgan & Morgan of "For The People" notoriety. The law firm is a major Democrat Party benefactor.
he might as well, GOP and DEM are indistinguishable nowadays.
I might be tossing my votes away for the next few elections, but I refuse to vote GOP in fear of DEM winning. I will vote regardless of the likelihood of victory for one who is TRUE CONSERVATIVE who will protect WE THE PEOPLE.
Opportunism, thy name is Charlie Crist. Florida voters, please remember those who most desire political office are the least qualified to hold it. it's one thing to run because you believe in an idea. its another to keep switching ideas just so you can run.
This isn't news. He has been claiming to be a democrat for a long time.
Hopefully he is positioning himself to run for the Senate in 2016 against Rubio. If he wins as Govenor, then he would get the nomination for the Senate if he wants it, and I think he would make Rubio a "one and done" footnote in history.
Great news, Charlie! Wishing you the best, and I know you'll do well ~
Congratulations Mr Crist on your escape from the GOP.
I wish him well, I think the soon to be announce result in Va will lead to a dem in Fla as governor as well.
Meantime 2014 looms large and I see a lot of change in the House... Tparty credibility has gone and will not return because it doesn't work for the majority whether that democratic or Republican = the Tparty extremists are going to lose in 2014 if challenged, best of all by an independent. That's how to get real voted checks and balance into the US congress as a whole, along with a few more in the Senate in todays world.
Regards,
Hodgson.
It didn't work too well for a certain Pennsylvania Senator when he tried this trick......
@tom l,
"I'd like a better handle on just how impactful this was to our economy and what that 24 billion represents."
In case TIim doesn't answer, I will. It means, Tom, that we may as well have set the $24 billion on fire. It means that $24 billion is lost money we can't use to spend, forcing cuts to the social safety net for low-income families. (It won't be cut from the military industrial complex, rest assured.) It means that Standard & Poors and FItch's will likely downgrade us again, because of our broken government, which means even more economic losses. It means that the estimated drop in GDP will just reinforce further economic losses.
@Tom1940,
"I'm sure your fidelity, honor, "word" and dedication to cause, party and ideology will be "appreciated" by Fla. Voters, come November."
I'm sure it will. Crist is already up 16 points, according to the poll mentioned in the article. Sorry.