Rep. Charlie Crist's hat sits teetering at the edge of the 2022 ring.
The state of play: The St. Petersburg Democrat told Axios he is "seriously considering running for governor" while on a tour of local businesses on Monday.
- That's a bit firmer than his response to the question just a month ago: "My mind is open to it."
- Crist visited a hair salon, a deli and a food truck to make sure they can secure small business loans as part of the stimulus package — and to casually mention he is thinking of running for governor.
The big picture: The race against Gov. Ron DeSantis will be decided 15 years after Crist was elected as a Republican governor — and a decade since he switched parties. He went from "Chain Gang Charlie" to saying "God bless Joe Biden."
- This sets up 2022 to have two major Tampa Bay contenders for governor. David Jolly is considering running as an independent.
- Other possible Democratic contenders from across the state are former Rep. Gwen Graham, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Reps. Val Demings and Stephanie Murphy.
Crist took a jab at DeSantis' vaccine rollout while sitting in a salon chair at Tabatha Exquisite Touch on Central Avenue:
Worth noting: Criticizing DeSantis may not be enough for Crist as some other Democrats are already doubting him.
- A Florida Democratic National Committee member told told Politico he doesn't think Crist is exciting enough to beat DeSantis. And attorney John Morgan called him a "cold fish."
This story first appeared in theAxios Tampa Baynewsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard.