Florida Democrats pick Crist in governor race

Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida addresses supporters Tuesday night at a victory party in Fort Lauderdale after winning the Democratic nomination for governor. He’ll face his successor, Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida addresses supporters Tuesday night at a victory party in Fort Lauderdale after winning the Democratic nomination for governor. He’ll face his successor, Republican Gov. Rick Scott.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist continued his political comeback Tuesday as Democratic voters selected him as their nominee to challenge Republican Gov. Rick Scott in Florida, one of four states where voters were choosing candidates for statewide office.

Crist easily defeated former state Sen. Nan Rich while Scott coasted in his own primary toward a general election where the state's last two Republican governors will face off. Both have struggled with sagging approval ratings and run-ins with far-right conservatives.

Unofficial returns, with nearly two-thirds of precincts reporting, showed Crist with a 3-to-1 lead over Rich, who had been campaigning for governor longer than Crist has been a Democrat. Crist was an independent four years ago when he lost a Senate race to Republican Marco Rubio. He became a Democrat in December 2012.

Crist was immediately praised Tuesday night by the leader of his new party. In a statement, Democratic National Committee Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a congressman from Florida, called Crist "the next governor of Florida."

Democrats view the seat as a key pickup opportunity in a state President Barack Obama won twice.

Crist, 58, previously won three statewide races as a GOP candidate. He was once considered a potential running mate for 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain and had the backing of GOP leaders in a 2010 bid for Senate -- until Rubio used an image of Crist hugging Obama to chase Crist from the primary. Crist then ran as an independent, but he ended up a distant second. In 2012, he endorsed Obama for a second term.

Scott, 61, who had minor primary opposition, has already spent millions of dollars on ads criticizing Crist and pointing out how he has changed from opposing to supporting same-sex marriage, gun control and Obama's health care plan.

In Arizona, meanwhile, several Republicans were running to succeed GOP Gov. Jan Brewer. Brewer endorsed former Mesa Mayor Scott Smith. Democrat Fred DuVal was unopposed in his primary and will face the GOP winner in November.

In Vermont, Republicans nominated businessman Scott Milne over three other candidates to face Democratic incumbent Gov. Peter Shumlin, who also leads the Democratic Governors Association. Other statewide offices, including an at-large House seat, also were on the ballot.

Oklahoma Democrats chose their Senate nominee in a runoff Tuesday, with state Sen. Connie Johnson beating perennial candidate Jim Rogers. Johnson now becomes a general election underdog against Rep. James Lankford for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Tom Coburn.

In Oklahoma, some Democratic voters said their Senate runoff is likely a futile exercise.

Phil Defree, 64, a retired civil servant in central Oklahoma, voted for Johnson. But Defree said he had no expectations that Democrats would defeat Lankford in a state where Obama failed to win a single county in either of his national victories.

"Oh, no! Not in Oklahoma. I'm a realist," Defree said.

In Florida, the Democratic primary was an important hurdle for Crist, as he looks to prove his connections within the party.

His challenge was evident at the polls Tuesday.

David Bradley, a lawyer from West Palm Beach, said he voted for Rich. Asked why he didn't support Crist, Bradley said: "He's a Republican!"

Even some of Crist's supporters indicated their vote was more about Scott than Crist.

"I like Nan Rich, but I didn't want to waste my vote," 65-year-old Lavon Wright said outside a Gainesville precinct.

"I think Crist can beat the current governor."

Information for this article was contributed by Matt Sedensky, Jason Dearen, Kristi Eaton, Bob Christie and Dave Gram of The Associated Press.

A Section on 08/27/2014

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