ABOVE: U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist attends St Pete Pride. Watermark file photo.
ST. PETERSBURG | U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist confirmed May 4 that he will run for governor, challenging incumbent Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022.
Crist currently represents Florida’s 13th congressional district, which covers Pinellas County from Clearwater through his native St. Petersburg, where he announced his campaign. The gubernatorial bid will be his third.
The candidate previously served as governor from 2007-2011 as a Republican before running as a Democrat in 2014. While he lost the latter race to now-U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, he went on to serve in Congress in 2017, championing legislation like the Equality Act as a vice chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus and more.
“Florida should be a place where hard work is rewarded, justice is equal and opportunity is right in front of you,” Crist shared in an announcement video May 4. “That’s a Florida for all – and that’s why I’m running for governor.”
The video highlighted a number of Crist’s achievements as governor, seen below:
Florida should be a place where hard work is rewarded, justice is equal, and opportunity is right in front of you. That's a Florida for all — and that's why I'm running for Governor.
Join us: https://t.co/ayqK3371Ik pic.twitter.com/l1OksxMP1y
— Charlie Crist (@CharlieCrist) May 4, 2021
Crist has set himself apart from DeSantis in a number of ways in recent weeks, among them the current governor’s support for anti-LGBTQ legislation. He vowed to sign Senate Bill 1028 April 30, which includes a last-minute amendment targeting transgender youth who play sports.
“This cruel legislation is creating an issue where one doesn’t exist, picking on young people for political gain,” Crist shared after its passage. “Governor DeSantis should veto it immediately. I challenge Republican legislators in Tallahassee to imagine being a kid who is in this situation, what it says to them to be singled out by lawmakers in such a mean-spirited way.
“I have a different message to every trans kid in Florida: you are welcome here and you are loved,” he continued. “And millions of Floridians feel the same way as I do – and we’re ready to fight for your right to play and live as exactly who you are.”
Crist’s gubernatorial campaign echoed the need to lift up every Floridian during his announcement. “We can build a Florida for all Floridians,” he shared. “We can create a society that values every person. We can break the fever of division and hatred that has afflicted our politics.”
To learn more information about Crist’s campaign, visit CharlieCrist.com.
