Democrat Charlie Crist resigns from Congress to focus on Florida gubernatorial campaign: report

31 August 2022

Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) has announced his resignation from Congress to focus more of his attention on his Florida gubernatorial campaign. The decision comes shortly after his substantial win against Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in the Florida primary.

According to Politico, Crist's resignation likely gives him more of an advantage as opposed to him staying in office until the election.

The news outlet reported that "resigning from Congress not only makes it easier for Crist to raise money but allows him to avoid criticism that he spent more time on the campaign trail than in Congress."

The lawmaker began facing scrutiny from Republican lawmakers months ago when multiple media outlets pointed out that he's voted by proxy the vast majority of the time. To be more specific, Crist has only voted "18 times in person out of 125 votes through the middle of April.

Crist is prepping to square up against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) who reportedly has more than $130 million in his political war chest.

But despite DeSantis' position and financial edge, Politico notes that Crist also has a stellar resume and a substantial chance in November.

The news outlet noted: "Crist has one of the longest resumes in Florida political history. He served as Florida’s Republican governor from 2007 to 2011 but left the party to run as an independent in his 2010 race for Senate against GOP Sen. Marco Rubio. He registered as a Democrat in 2012 and then made a failed bid in 2014 for governor against former governor and now-Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.)."

Crist's Congressional seat will remain vacant until the election in November.

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