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Florida Dem Charlie Crist Resigns From Congress Before His Term Is Up

Photo of Martin Walsh Martin WalshSeptember 1, 2022
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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.

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Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist announced that he will resign from Congress as he takes on Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in November’s general election.

The bizarre move will shrink Democrats’ thin majority in the U.S. House, which could complicate efforts to pass legislation before the midterms.

“Today, I’m announcing my resignation from Congress. Casework operations will continue under the Office of Florida’s 13th Congressional District until newly elected members take office in 2023. It’s been a privilege to serve Pinellas in Washington. Read my full statement below,” Crist wrote in a tweet accompanied by a screenshot of his full statement.

“I hereby resign my office as the Representative for Florida’s 13th Congressional District effective today,” Crist wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a letter.

As noted by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, Republicans are likely to flip Crist’s House seat.

Democrat Eric Lynn will face off against Anna Paulina Luna, a Trump-backed former Air Force veteran, to replace Crist in Florida’s 13th Congressional District.

It’s likely that Republicans pick up the House seat as well as DeSantis defeats Crist in November’s general election.

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A new poll taken after the Florida primary last week shows DeSantis leading Crist by 5 points.

“Impact Research released new polling that shows Gov. Ron DeSantis remains a favorite for re-election. He leads Democratic nominee Charlie Crist by 5 percentage points. But that 51% to 46% advantage is within the poll’s 3.5 percentage point margin of error, which applies to each candidate’s share of the vote,” Florida Politics reported.

“The survey finds DeSantis’ divisive reputation still could expose him to trouble in the General Election. That’s because independent voters strongly dislike the incumbent Republican. Voters without party affiliation break for Crist 52% compared to DeSantis’ 39%,” the outlet added.

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Soon after his primary win last Tuesday, Crist made a slew of comments that many viewed as being devicive and could alienate a swath of voters in the state.

“Those who support the governor should stay with him and vote for him, and I don’t want your vote,” Crist said, emphasizing the words “I don’t want your vote.” “If you have that hate in your heart, keep it there!”

“I want the vote of the people of Florida who care about our state: good Democrats, good independents, good Republicans,” Crist continued, calling on Florida voters to unify even as he attacked them. “Unify with this ticket. Unify with Val Demings and Charlie Crist. Unify with us. Those who are haters? You’re going to go off in your own world, and you better get right.”

WATCH:

DeSantis campaign spokeswoman Christina Pushaw had a field day responding to Crist’s comments.

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“It’s day one of the general election and Charlie is already asking people not to vote for him. That’s not exactly a winning strategy,” Pushaw said.

“‘I don’t want your vote’ is quite the message for a Democrat politician who has been running for office for 30+ years,” the GOP’s Deputy Communications Director Nathan Brand responded.

“‘I don’t want your vote’ is certainly an interesting general election strategy,” Jake Schneider tweeted.

Abigail Marone, press secretary to GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, responded by reminding everyone that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a similar comment back in 2016 with her “Basket of deplorables” comment.

Abigail Marone, press secretary to GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, responded by reminding everyone that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a similar comment back in 2016 with her “Basket of deplorables” she tweeted.

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Photo of Martin Walsh Martin WalshSeptember 1, 2022