Prediction markets: Charlie Crist on the rise as campaign announcement looms

by | May 3, 2021



Charlie Crist, a former Florida Republican governor turned Democratic congressman, is gaining momentum on PredicIt as he is expected to announce a third gubernatorial bid this week.

The betting proposition, which launched last month on the online prediction market, shows Crist on the upswing in the lead-up to the 2022 election. At the time of this article, the former governor is trading at $.07 Yes price — up six cents from April 29. The rise places Crist on the heels of two other notable Democrats eyeing a campaign — Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings ($.10) and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried ($.08).

Governor Ron DeSantis, however, continues to dominate the field, with a $.79 Yes price.

The recent surge comes after Crist dropped several hints suggesting that he was entering the 2022 race. During a recent television interview, Crist told Jim DeFede on CBS Miami’s “Facing South Florida” he was considering running for governor. Crist added fuel to the speculative fire last week when he opened a political committee named “Friends of Charlie Crist.” That flame only intensified over the weekend after Crist tweeted that he will make a “major announcement” on May 4 in his hometown of St. Petersburg.

“I’m making a major announcement in my hometown of St. Pete. I’d love to tell you in person,” Crist tweeted on Saturday.

Crist, who now represents Florida’s 13th Congressional District, has a long career inside Florida’s political arena. He served in the state Senate from 1993 to 1999, before running unsuccessfully against incumbent Bob Graham for the U.S. Senate in 1998. Crist would then transition inside the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), serving as education commissioner from 2001 to 2003.

Crist rose to statewide prominence in 2003, serving as Florida’s attorney general before winning the governor’s mansion as a Republican in 2006. He decided not to seek a second term, instead running in 2010 for a U.S. Senate seat, which he lost to Senator Marco Rubio.

After leaving the GOP, Crist tried to mount a comeback as a Democrat in 2014, losing the governor’s race to former Governor turned U.S. Senator Rick Scott.

Crist was elected to Congress from his home district in 2016.

He further teased a run on Sunday, posting a photo of himself preparing a speech.

If Crist decides to take the plunge on Tuesday, he will be the first major Democratic candidate in the race.

To view the 2022 Florida gubernatorial market, click here.

3 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    This guy is a good example of a political opportunist, who is always looking to run for office to receive a government check, rather than working honestly for a check. Is he going to transition to run as a Socialist/Democrat, hoping to gain some young, millennial socialist votes???? He might have to since he has been rejected by Florida’s voter’s before.

  2. Anonymous

    At a minimum he would be an interesting candidate in that he’s a ‘ Closeted Gay ‘ and one of the most duplicitous politicians ever. Governor DeSantis would crush him in the gubernatorial election, bring him on !

  3. Irving Schwartz

    I guarantee that Chain Gang Charlie has never harassed an underage girl or a woman. And since he has been at the public trough his adult life, he has no hidden business scandals. His only drawback is that his former interim boss John Morgan appears to have left him for Val Demmings, a woman. Florida needs a flexible representative of the LGBT community. And if Charlie makes it, his former spouse Carol will come crawling back to Tallahassee on her knees.