/ Congressman Charlie Crist hugs a supporter during a rally for Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum in 2018 This would be the current St. Petersburg Congressman's third race for the governor's mansion. Congressman Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, is expected to announce Tuesday that he's seeking to recapture his former seat in the governor's mansion. Crist, who was a Republican until 2012, has scheduled a news conference Tuesday morning in his hometown of St. Petersburg. if Crist runs, some things will work in his favor -- and others won't, said Zac Anderson, political editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. "He's certainly - amongst the Democrats that are considering running - I think is by far the best known," Anderson said. "He's run two statewide races for governor. He's also run multiple other statewide races for U.S. Senate, for education commissioner, twice he ran for attorney general and won."