Story thread · 5 reports / 2 sources

GOP comes home to Charlie Crist in St. Petersburg mayor’s race

tampabay.com · 12dShare

As one of Florida’s most prominent Democrats, Charlie Crist has raised an unprecedented amount of cash in his bid to become St. Petersburg’s next mayor. Much of that money has come from an unexpected source: the political party he left 16 years ago. Republicans and the companies and political committees they control have spent more than half a million dollars on Crist’s mayoral campaign through mid-July, campaign finance records show. Donors include two past chairpersons of the Pinellas GOP, former state legislators, political committees that regularly finance Republican candidates and powerful lobbyists who have advised and contributed to the campaigns of Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump. The GOP’s imprint on Crist’s campaign rivals what members of his own Democratic Party are contributing, no small feat in a city where Democrats have an edge over Republicans in registered voters of 42% to 27%. With a haul of $1.8 million in contributions, Crist has broken the record for a

First report: ‘Condemn the lie’: Ken Welch slams Charlie Crist after Florida Politics publisher spreads affair rumors — cltampa.com, 15d