Charlie Crist to run as Democrat for Florida governor

(UPI) -- Charlie Crist wants to be governor of Florida again, but this time, he'll do it as a Democrat.

The former one-term governor left the Republican Party after losing a bid for Senate in 2010 to Marco Rubio and went on to run -- and lose to Rubio again -- as an Independent in the general election. In December, he announced he had joined the Democratic Party, a move that was seen as the first step as a campaign for the state's highest office.

Crist filed paperwork last week to challenge Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, in 2014, and made the official announcement Monday.

"No matter what they say, it is not a sin to reach across the aisle," Crist said at a rally in St. Petersburg. "So yeah, I'm running as a Democrat and I'm proud to do it."

"But to every independent and every Republican -- like Mom and Dad -- who feels we are losing our way, please join us and stand with me," he said.

Scott is already campaigning against Crist, running ads quoting Al Gore calling him an opportunist. Crist endorsed Sen. John McCain in 2008, but spoke at the Democratic National Convention in favor of President Barack Obama's reelection in 2012.

In early polling in the race for the Democratic nomination, Crist has a large advantage over Nan Rich, the former Minority Leader in the Florida Senate. Crist has also held a consistent lead in polls against Scott going back as far as 2011.