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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist has won the Democratic nomination to seek his old job with his new party.
The victory Tuesday is another step in Crist's attempt at a political comeback. He will now face Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
Early returns showed Crist with 75 percent of the vote, with 35 percent of precincts reporting.
Crist beat Nan Rich, the former Senate Democratic leader who has been campaigning for governor longer than Crist has been a Democrat.
Crist left the GOP in 2010 when he ran as an independent for the Senate seat won by Republican Marco Rubio.
Crist used to call himself a Ronald Reagan Republican, but he increasingly aligned himself with Democrats after the Senate campaign.
He campaigned for President Barack Obama in 2012 and registered as a Democrat after the election.
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