Charlie Crist is back on the ballot. The former Florida governor officially filed Monday to enter the race for mayor of St. Petersburg, adding another chapter to a political career that has spanned decades and crossed party lines.
Crist, 70, posted a video on X showing him holding his candidacy paperwork. “Well it’s official. I’m now a candidate for mayor of St. Pete. God bless you all,” he said in the brief clip.
The move sets up a primary challenge to incumbent Mayor Ken Welch, a Democrat. Crist and Welch have endorsed each other in past elections, but Crist now says he is disappointed in Welch’s leadership, particularly on affordability. “I still consider him a friend,” Crist told the Tampa Bay Times. “I did vote for him, I did campaign for him, but I am disappointed, like I feel a lot of citizens in St. Petersburg are.”
Crist’s political journey is one of the most storied in Florida history. First elected to the state Senate in 1992, he went on to serve as education commissioner and attorney general under then-Gov. Jeb Bush before winning the governor’s mansion in 2006 as a Republican. He chose not to seek a second term, instead making an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate, losing the GOP primary to Marco Rubio and then falling short as an independent in the general election.
In 2012, Crist switched to the Democratic Party and ran for governor again in 2014, losing to Rick Scott. He later represented Florida’s 13th Congressional District from 2017 to 2022, a tenure that ended with a third gubernatorial run. Crist won the Democratic nomination but lost to Gov. Ron DeSantis by nearly 20 points. In 2023, President Biden appointed him as U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency.
The St. Petersburg mayoral race is technically nonpartisan, but both Crist and Welch are Democrats. Seven candidates have filed, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The primary is set for Aug. 18, and if no one wins a simple majority, the top two will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
Crist’s entry adds a high-profile twist to a race that has largely focused on local issues like housing costs and development. The former governor’s name recognition and political network could give him a significant edge, but his shifting party affiliations and long record may also draw scrutiny.
This campaign comes amid broader political turbulence in Florida, including ongoing redistricting battles that have left incumbents and candidates in limbo. DeSantis has dared Democratic leaders to campaign in the state, and the GOP is scrambling to counter midterm risks after a Virginia redistricting loss. Meanwhile, a former North Carolina officer was arrested in Florida, accused of plotting a mass shooting at a New Orleans festival.
For Crist, the mayoral race is a chance to return to elected office in his hometown after years on the national stage. Whether voters see him as a seasoned leader or a perennial candidate will be decided at the ballot box.
