The Associated Press and local station Bay News 9 are projecting that Republican turned independent turned Democrat Charlie Crist has won the congressional seat in Florida’s 13th District.
Crist, the former governor, ousted incumbent Republican Rep. David Jolly in a district where the Democratic vote has grown by 20,000 votes thanks to a recent redistricting by trying early and often to tie Jolly to Trump even though Jolly never endorsed him.
Jolly ran a race without any financial support from the National Republican Congressional Committee. Jolly had irritated national Republican leaders after he appeared on 60 minutes and disparaged the party’s fundraising practices. He sponsored legislation to bar lawmakers from directly soliciting campaign contributions.
Jolly had mounted a run for Senate, but bowed out when Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) made a late decision to re-enter the race.
