At the White House, Charlie Crist Becomes at Democrat
At the White House, Charlie Crist Becomes at Democrat
“I’ve had friends for years tell me, ‘You know Charlie, you’re a Democrat and you don’t know it,’” Crist told the Tampa Bay Times about his party switch. The Times also reports that President Obama greeted the news of Crist’s switch with a fist-bump.
Crist — who lost a 2010 GOP Senate primary to Marco Rubio — has been trending in this direction for some time. He’s had no party registration since losing to Rubio, and he endorsed Obama for reelection in October. He also delivered a speech at Obama’s nominating convention in Charlotte, N.C. this fall.
He’s widely rumored to be interested in challenging Florida’s Republican Gov. Rick Scott in 2014 — but he’ll need to fend off primary challenges from Democrats unimpressed by his time in the GOP.