Rep. Charlie Crist announces his run for Florida governor

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Rep. Charlie Crist will make another bid to become Florida's next governor. He made the announcement Tuesday morning on Facebook and then made it official during an appearance in St. Petersburg.

A Tuesday morning post on his Facebook page read: "Florida should be a place where hard work is rewarded, justice is equal, and opportunity is right in front of you. That's a Florida for all — and that's why I'm running for Governor." 

The former governor has been talking about another run since late last year. Crist would be the first Democratic candidate to put his hat in the ring by announcing his plans to go up against current Governor Ron DeSantis in 2022.

Crist wouldn’t be alone in the race for governor as other candidates like Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried is widely believed to be running.

RELATED: Is Nikki Fried planning to challenge Governor DeSantis in 2022?

Also mentioned for the race is Representative Val Demings of Orlando, who apparently announced plans this morning to run again for Congress, though her tweet was somewhat vague.

This will not be the first go-around for the current U.S. congressman. He served as Florida’s 44th governor from 2007 to 2011, and he’s had a few not-as-successful campaigns as well. 

READ: Gov. DeSantis signs bill banning vaccine passports; suspends COVID-19 local emergency orders

The last time Crist won a statewide election was 15 years ago while running as a Republican. He also unsuccessfully tried to secure a seat on the Senate running as an independent. 

Four years later, he went up against then-Governor Rick Scott as a Democrat to try and reclaim his title as governor. While unsuccessful yet again, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017, which is the position he currently holds as a Democrat.