Charlie Crist will soon officially have an opponent in the race for Florida’s 13th congressional district seat.
Republican George Buck, a former academic and firefighter, will hold an official campaign launch at Bascom’s Chop House in Clearwater Monday from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
“His proven leadership in times of crisis, his ‘boots on the ground’ philosophy and qualifications bring fresh and realistic approaches that have not been seen in Washington in quite a while,” Buck’s campaign said in a release touting the event.
Buck has a tough opponent on his hands in Crist, a seasoned fundraiser with near universal name recognition. The Republican governor-turned Democratic congressman raised over $447,000 in the first quarter of 2018 and is sitting on $2.1 million cash on hand. Buck has yet to file a campaign finance report.
Still, if Buck can raise some dough — and Republicans avoid a Democratic wave in November — the Republican could have a puncher’s chance. Crist took the district from Republican David Jolly in 2016 by just three points.