Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is officially an independent.
He stopped by the election supervisor's office in his St. Petersburg hometown on Wednesday to declare his political independence.
Met by a gaggle of reporters and TV cameras, the candidate for U.S. Senate signed documents changing his status on voter rolls from "Republican" to "none."
Crist announced the switch last month after Republican rival Marco Rubio took a big lead in the polls and looked like he might trounce him in the primary.
At the same time, polls suggested the popular governor, running as an independent, could win a three-way race over Rubio and likely Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek.
Crist says being independent allows him to stay true to his beliefs.
© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.