- Chip Weiner
- Charlie Crist was the keynote speaker for the Hillsborough County Democratic Party
A minute and twenty two seconds into his keynote address at the Hillsborough County Kennedy/King Dinner at the Tampa Convention Center, Charlie Crist paraphrased David Byrne and the Talking Heads, circa 1979.
"So you may wonder. How did I get here?" he asked, regarding his three-year evolution from his life-long affiliation with the Republican Party in 2010 to announcing his affiliation with the Democratic Party last December — a process that has been significantly recounted in the Florida and national media.
"Well, Carol drove me," he deadpanned (referring to his wife, Carol Rome).
Those who follow Florida politics expect the final step in Crist's metamorphosis to be an announcement for his candidacy for the Democratic gubernatorial election in 2014. But Crist tamped down rumors awhile ago that he would make such a speech at the Kennedy/King Dinner. Nevertheless, there were expectations that he would put down a foundation for why he deserved the support of the rank and file in the months ahead.
While there were some fiery, passionate lines where he declared that the philosophies of the Democratic Party are what he believes in now, Crist's speech ended much quicker than some of the (rather long-winded) speeches that preceded his, and was about as long in duration as an appearance by a potential opponent in the race, Alex Sink.
This article appears in May 9-15, 2013.