Kelly Hayes
Congressman Charlie Crist will be joining several local Democratic leaders Tuesday morning to visit the polls in Pinellas.
Crist, along with Commissioner Janet Long, Commissioner Charlie Justice, Rep. Ben Diamond and County Commission Candidate Rene Flowers, will kick off Election Day by visiting The Coliseum polling site at 9 a.m.
The Democratic leaders joining Crist also are on the ballot — incumbent commissioners Long and Justice as well as Rep. Diamond are up for reelection, and former school board member Flowers is running for the District 7 commission seat.
Crist will host a virtual election night press conference and watch party after the polls close at 7 p.m.
According to a news release, the campaign is “prioritizing the safety of our team and our supporters by not holding a public election night watch party and press conference due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in Florida.”
In his own race, Crist faces a notable GOP challenge from Anna Paulina Luna, a staunch Trump ally, in the race for Florida’s 13th Congressional District.
The district runs roughly from Pinellas Point in St. Pete north to Clearwater, covering peninsular Pinellas County. Democrats outnumber Republicans 201,088 to 176,857. NPA voters currently total 143,876, according to the latest state numbers.
Polling currently shows voters in the district favoring Crist by 17 points. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump 54% to 43% in Crist’s district.
In early October, political prognosticator Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball moved CD 13 from “Likely Democrat” to “Safe Democrat.” And the latest polls show Crist leading Luna 55% to 39%, with 7% undecided. Crist beat his 2018 opponent by 15 points.
