Charlie Crist has moved from Republican to Independent now a Democrat since he began his political career as a politician where he held two top positions before serving as an Attorney General from 2003 to 2007 and as a Governor from 2007 to 2011.
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But images of him hugging Barack Obama, a Democrat, in 2009 when the then-president visited the state to pitch his economic stimulus plan struck a death knell for his future as a Republican, BBC News reported.
Choosing not to run for re-election, Crist ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate as an independent. He then ran as a Democrat in 2016 for the US House of Representatives and won the seat he currently holds.
“I didn’t leave the Republican Party; it left me,” he said in 2012, adding that the party had gone “extreme right” on several key issues.
Earlier in the race, his opponent Nikki Fried condemned his nomination of two conservative judges to the Supreme Court during his time as the state’s Republican governor. She said this was an indication that he was not a true supporter of abortion rights.
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“I have been pro-choice my entire life,” Fried said last month during a debate. “I have made sure that I’ve stood on the side of women. Charlie cannot say the same thing.”
Crist facing a difficult task in November –
Anthony Zurcher North America correspondent, reporting from Florida said,
“Congressman Charlie Crist is going to get another shot at being Florida’s governor.
The first time he won – as a Republican. The second time he lost – as a Democrat. Now he’ll be on the ballot as a Democrat once again.
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It may be his most difficult task, as he faces off against an incumbent, Ron DeSantis, who is widely popular among Republicans both here in Florida and nationally and has a deep campaign war chest.
Republicans are already trying to paint Crist – who has a long record in Florida politics – as yesterday’s news.
“We have a new opponent, but he’s not really new, he’s old,” said Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez at the Republican victory rally in Hialeah Tuesday night.
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“He’s like one of those comets that comes every three years,” Florida Senator Marco Rubio added.
Florida Democratic voters opted for Crist over state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who ran to the congressman’s left. His victory suggests they opted for the establishment-backed centrist as their best shot at victory.
November will determine whether that bet paid off.”
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