Charlie Crist

Charlie Crist
Official portrait, 2017
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 13th district
In office
January 3, 2017 – August 31, 2022
Preceded byDavid Jolly
Succeeded byAnna Paulina Luna
44th Governor of Florida
In office
January 2, 2007 – January 4, 2011
LieutenantJeff Kottkamp
Preceded byJeb Bush
Succeeded byRick Scott
35th Attorney General of Florida
In office
January 7, 2003 – January 2, 2007
GovernorJeb Bush
Preceded byRichard E. Doran
Succeeded byBill McCollum
21st Education Commissioner of Florida
In office
January 3, 2001 – January 7, 2003
GovernorJeb Bush
Preceded byTom Gallagher
Succeeded byJim Horne
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 20th district
In office
November 3, 1992 – November 3, 1998
Preceded byConstituency redistricted
Succeeded byJim Sebesta
Personal details
Born
Charles Joseph Crist Jr.

(1956-07-24) July 24, 1956 (age 68)
Altoona, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (2012–present)
Other political
affiliations
Independent (2010–2012)
Republican (before 2010)
Spouses
Amanda Morrow
(m. 1979; div. 1980)
(m. 2008; div. 2017)
EducationWake Forest University
Florida State University (BA)
Samford University (JD)
Signature

Charles Joseph Crist Jr. (/krɪst/ KRIST; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the U.S. representative for Florida's 13th congressional district from 2017 to 2022. Crist has been a member of the Democratic Party since 2012; he was previously a Republican before becoming an independent in 2010.

Crist served in the Florida Senate from 1993 to 1999, vacating his seat to run unsuccessfully against incumbent Bob Graham for the U.S. Senate in 1998. He won a 2000 special election to serve as Florida education commissioner from 2001 to 2003 and a 2002 election to serve as Florida attorney general from 2003 to 2007. He was elected Governor of Florida in 2006 after winning against Democrat Jim Davis.

While he was governor, Crist again ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010. He initially led in polls in the race for the Republican nomination, but was later overtaken by Marco Rubio. In April of that year, he left the Republican Party to run in the general election as an independent, losing to Rubio in a three-way race. He took 30% of the vote to Rubio's 49% and Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek had 20%. Crist's term as governor ended in January 2011.

On December 7, 2012, Crist joined the Democratic Party, having endorsed President Barack Obama for reelection in 2012. On November 1, 2013, he announced that he was running for governor in the 2014 election. Crist lost to Republican governor Rick Scott, his successor, by a 1% margin. In 2016, Crist was elected to Congress from his home district, the St. Petersburg-based 13th, defeating incumbent Republican David Jolly, 52%–48% and becoming the first Democrat to represent this district since 1955. In the 117th Congress, Crist was the only former governor serving in the House.

Crist was the Democratic nominee in the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election, resigning from the House in August 2022 to focus on his campaign. He was defeated by incumbent governor Ron DeSantis in a landslide.

On June 7, 2023, the White House announced Crist's nomination as U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency. He is currently awaiting confirmation by the U.S. Senate.