St. Petersburg Times: Charlie Crist will run for Senate with no party affiliation

Gov. Charlie Crist, a pariah in the Republican Party that has been vital to his success, will launch a risky political career today as a “people’s candidate” for the U.S. Senate with no party affiliation. Wednesday, Crist began telling campaign donors of his decision, which he will announce at 5 p.m. at Straub Park in downtown St. Petersburg, surrounded by family members, friends, local supporters and an army of media personnel. It will be an extraordinary event in Florida’s colorful political history, as a one-term governor who blew a 30-point lead in the Republican Senate primary is forced to run an unconventional race.

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