Former Gov. Charlie Crist Wins David Jolly’s U.S. House Seat

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Former Gov. Charlie Crist is headed to Washington, D.C. Voters in Florida’s U.S.Congressional District 13 selected the Democrat to represent them in a tight race against incumbent Republican David Jolly.

According to unofficial election results released by the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office, Crist captured 51 percent of the vote to Jolly’s 48 percent.

Crist began his political career as a Republican, who was first elected to the Florida Senate in 1993. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 1998, but lost his bid to incumbent Bob Graham. Crist went on to serve as Florida Education Commissioner and Florida Attorney General before being elected governor in 2006.

Crist opted against running for re-election in 2010 to run for the U.S. Senate. He lost the Republican nomination to Marco Rubio, before switching to become an Independent. He again lost in the general election to Rubio.

Crist announced his switch to the Democratic Party in 2012, prior to launching a failed bid to win the governor’s office back from Rick Scott in the 2014 election. Scott, however, managed to pull off a victory by a slim margin.

Jolly was elected to District 13 in a 2014 special election for the seat once held by U.S. Rep. Bill Young. He won re-election later that same year.

Jolly conceded the race to Crist shortly before 8:45 p.m. Nov. 8.

Crist addressed supporters just after 9 p.m.

"I can't thank you all enough tonight for the honor you have given me and my family for the opportunity to serve you in our nation's capital," he said.

District 13 covers a large swatch of Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg, Dunedin and Clearwater.

Photo by Neon Tommy via Flickr