Charlie Crist considers run for Florida governor again

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Is Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida playing political "musical chairs?"

That’s what the Republican Party of Florida says, after the former GOP governor turned Democratic congressman acknowledged that he’s considering a gubernatorial run next year.

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Crist said over the weekend in an interview with a local TV station that he "would be open to" a third run for governor.

"If you ask me, have some people suggested that I should contemplate potentially running for Governor next year? Yes, they have. While it doesn’t get much of my attention in my brain right now, it is something that I would be open to," Crist told the CBS TV station in Miami.

In the interview, Crist distanced himself from the push last year by some Democrats to defund the police, saying "law enforcement is something we have to fight for." He also emphasized that "I love the environment; we need to protect it. If we don’t, it hurts us economically" and noted that "I fought for teachers as governor before."

"These are the kind of things I think Floridians want. That’s why I’m opening my brain to the idea a little bit more," Crist stressed as he contemplated a gubernatorial run.

Asked by Fox News to respond the flirtations by Crist, the Florida GOP said "Charlie Crist is still playing musical chairs with Florida political seats. He’s lost as a Republican, Independent and Democrat."

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And pointing to Republican Gov. Rob DeSantis, who’s up for re-election next year, the state party said "Florida has a principled leader, decorated veteran and devoted public servant in Governor DeSantis who works daily to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all Floridians and we look forward to his re-election in 2022."

Crist, a Republican state senator from 1993-1999, later served as Florida Education Commissioner and then Attorney General before being elected governor in 2006.

Instead of running for re-election in 2010, Crist ran for the open Senate seat in Florida. He was initially the front-runner in the GOP primary against then-former state House speaker Marco Rubio. But politically wounded by his support of then-President Obama’s stimulus package and his hugging of the president during a trip to Florida, Crist soon trailed Rubio in the polls.

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Crist later dropped out of the Republican primary and ran for the Senate as an unaffiliated candidate. He came in a distant second to Rubio in the general election, with the Democratic candidate finishing third.

After becoming a Democrat, Crist unsuccessfully ran for his old job as governor in 2014, narrowly losing to GOP incumbent Gov. Rick Scott. Crist was elected to the House in 2016, winning re-election in 2018 and last November. He represents Florida’s 13th Congressional District, which includes St. Petersburg and Clearwater.