Charlie Crist, the candidate for Democratic dominance in Florida, speaks during a main night party in Saint Petersburg, Florida, on Tuesday, August 23, 2022.
Thomas Wheelock | Bloomberg | beautiful pictures
Democratic Representative Charlie Crist announced Wednesday that he will resign from Congress while campaigning for Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida in November.
The move would narrow the already slim majority of Democrats in the House, potentially complicating efforts to pass more legislation ahead of the midterm elections when Republicans currently have the upper hand in control. control.
Serving in Congress “is an honor and privilege,” Crist said in a statement, which made no mention of his gubernatorial campaign. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for trusting me as your Representative in Washington.”
Crist will step down late Wednesday, he said in the statement. Congressional staff for Crist County will provide curator and voter services until the next representatives are sworn in in January, the statement said.
Florida’s 13th congressional district, where Crist has served since 2017, is seen as likely to host Republicans this November, according to nonpartisan Cook political report. The district’s political structure shifts to GOP after new congressional map, proposed by DeSantisreshaping the region.
Crist easily won the Democratic nomination for the race for dominance in Florida. But Polls show he’s following DeSantis, a dominant figure in the GOP who is rumored to be set to run for president in 2024.
DeSantis has also outpaced Crist: The powerful Republican incumbent gubernatorial campaign has raised more than $165 million since 2019, OpenSecrets reported earlier this month.
DeSantis’ stature in the party is probably only surpassed by the former President Donald Trumpwho has frequently teased the possibility of another bid for the White House.
Crist’s actions mirror DeSantis’ decided in 2018 resigned from Congress as he campaigned for governor in a bitter race against Democrat Andrew Gillum. DeSantis at the time said he didn’t want to be criticized for taking the pay slips of US representatives while voting.
