Charlie Crist raises another $400K for reelection campaign

Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist raised more than $400,000 for his reelection campaign during the third quarter of the year.

The new haul sets Crist’s campaign fund up with $2.56 million heading into October. The third-quarter effort keeps pace with Crist’s first- and second-quarter reports, when he raised $358,000 and $431,000, respectively

“I’m extraordinarily honored to serve the people of Pinellas County in Washington,” Crist said in a news release announcing his fundraising numbers.

“We are doing the people’s work, with the people’s backing — on healthcare, our environment, social security and Medicare, and for our veterans. These are challenging times but the progress we’re making is critical to the future of our nation.”

Crist was elected to represent Florida’s 13th Congressional District in 2016. Last year he was reelected with a 15-point win over Republican challenger George Buck.

The Crist campaign is confident the next go around will be similarly successful. The news release noted that The Cook Political Report rates CD 13 as “solid blue.”

Still, the former Governor is facing five Republican challengers in the 2020 cycle.

One of them, Amanda Makki, has reported $220,000 in contributions in the second quarter. Another of the GOP hopefuls, Anna Paulina Luna, will post her first report later this month.