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Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist resigns from Congress amid bid to defeat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during the state's gubernatorial contest
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Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist resigns from Congress amid bid to defeat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during the state's gubernatorial contest

Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist, who is currently running for governor in the Sunshine State, has resigned from his role representing Florida's 13th Congressional District, leaving the job about four months before the end of his term.

"I hereby resign my office as the Representative for Florida's 13th Congressional District, effective today, Wednesday, August 31, 2022," Crist wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Last week, Crist won the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Florida and announced Karla Hernández as his running mate — Hernández is the president of United Teachers of Dade, a left-wing teachers union.

Crist will face incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis during the general election. DeSantis, who entered office in early 2019, had previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives — he resigned from his House seat in 2018 during his gubernatorial run.

"As the Republican nominee for Governor of Florida, it is clear to me that I will likely miss the vast majority of our remaining session days for this Congress," DeSanits wrote in a September 10, 2018 letter to then-House Speaker Paul Ryan. "Under these circumstances, it would be inappropriate for me to accept a salary. In order to honor my principles and protect the taxpayer, I officially resign from the House of Representatives effective immediately. For purposes of pay, I ask that my resignation be retroactive to September 1 so that I do not receive any pay for the month of September."

Last week, Crist said that he does not want the votes of DeSantis supporters, and he indicated that they have hate within their hearts.

Crist previously served as Florida governor from early 2007 through early 2011, a post he was elected to as a Republican. In 2010, he lost a U.S. Senate bid while running as an independent. He lost the state's 2014 gubernatorial contest while running as a Democrat. Crist has served in the U.S. Congress since 2017.

"Serving as the Representative of Florida’s 13th Congressional District has been an honor and a privilege," Crist said in a statement. "When I first took office nearly six years ago, I vowed to defend our Veterans, bring jobs to Florida, fight climate change, and put people over politics. As I close out my time in Congress, I could not be prouder of the work we’ve done to uphold those promises – passing legislation to support our veterans, expanding solar energy in the Sunshine State, securing millions in direct funding for community projects, and returning over $6 million in earned benefits to the people of Pinellas."

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