Charlie Crist, the former Florida governor who served as a Republican and then ran for office again last year as a Democrat only to be defeated, may benefit from the state's plans to redraw eight of its congressional districts.
According to
a Politico report, Crist could potentially run for the House seat currently occupied by Republican David Jolly, who earned the seat in last year's midterm election.
Politico reports Crist has been thinking about running for the 13th district seat if Jolly decides not to run for re-election. Depending on how the redistricting turns out, Jolly could opt to run for the Senate instead.
The Florida Supreme Court ordered eight of the state's congressional districts redrawn on Thursday, which could change the political landscape of the state. Crist lives in the 13th district.
"The seat would be tailor-made for Charlie," said Orlando-based trial lawyer said John Morgan, a lawyer and Crist friend, in the Politico story. "I haven't spoken to Charlie about this ruling, but I would say it's far more likely than not he would run for the seat if the seat came to him. The math is there."
The current configuration of
Florida's 13th district consists of north St. Petersburg, Largo, Clearwater, Dunedin, and other locales north of St. Petersburg. The district could be altered in such a way that it becomes more Democratic, opening the door for Crist,
SaintPetersBlog notes.
"Everybody that has ever wanted to be a Congress member is going to be looking at that seat," Susan MacManus of the University of South Florida told
the Tampa Bay Tribune.
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