Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D) announced Monday he won’t run for Senate in 2016.
“As members of the Florida Democratic Party, we stand for something — fairness, growing the middle class, and policies that strengthen future generations,” Crist wrote on his Facebook page. “I will not be seeking office in 2016, but I will be working alongside you. Too much is at stake for our beautiful Florida to be on the sidelines.”
{mosads}Crist was considering a Senate run as recently as a week ago.
The Senate race in Florida is getting looks from a handful of Democrats who believe they’ll be able to compete in the perennial swing state, especially if Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) runs for president instead of reelection to the upper chamber.
Rubio is gearing up for a presidential run and has said he won’t run for president and the Senate simultaneously.
Some Democrats in the state are pushing Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.), a two-term congressman and rising political star in the state, to launch a bid. Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) and Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) are also considering their options.
Crist won one term as governor of Florida in 2006, when he ran as a Republican.
In 2010, Crist declined to run for reelection as governor and instead ran for U.S. Senate, where he was overtaken by Rubio in the primaries. Crist switched his political affiliation to independent for the general election, but still fell short to Rubio in a three-way contest.
Crist joined the Democratic Party in 2012 and ran for governor last year, but lost a close race to incumbent Gov. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).