With former Gov. Charlie Crist refusing to run for office in 2016, another Democratic challenger could be ready to take on U.S. Rep. David Jolly, and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is ready for him.
Crists name had surfaced in recent days first as a possible candidate in the U.S. Senate race next year, then as a potential challenger to Jolly. But, on Monday afternoon, Crist slammed the door to running for office 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 announced on Facebook. After spending most of his political life as a Republican, Crist left the GOP after being caught by Marco Rubio in the 2010 Senate primary and continued his bid with no party affiliation. Crist joined the Democrats after the 2012 elections. 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.
In the meantime, with Crist not challenging Jolly, another Democrat is increasingly emerging as a possible challenger for 2016. Mitch Perry at Saint PetersBlog reported that Eric Lynn, currently a member of the Obama administration as an adviser in the Defense Department, is getting support from Democrats in the Pinellas County district.
The NRCC struck on Tuesday, welcoming Lynn into the race, tying him to President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
"We look forward to Eric Lynn attempting to defend the disastrous record of Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi over the next 20 months, Chris Pack, a spokesman for the NRCC, told Sunshine State News on Tuesday. Perhaps Eric Lynn can draw on his experience as an official in the Obama administration to defend the president's failed policies that have been disastrous for Florida families and seniors."
Despite this being a competitive district, Democrats had problems here last year. Jolly scored a narrow win in a special election early last year over former state CFO Alex Sink. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) tried to recruit Sink to run again in the general election but she said no. Other candidates received some attention from the DCCC but the party was left with no candidate.
The DCCC eventually backed retired Army Col. Ed Jany, although he ran with no party affiliation. Jany had been a registered Republican but moved to the Democrats. But he didnt switch fast enough because Florida requires candidates to be members of their party for a year before qualifying. Jany quickly dropped out after questions surfaced about inconsistencies in his background, including lying about having a college degree, leaving the DCCC without a candidate in a competitive district.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
