"Political Party" w/ Adam Smith: Eric Lynn 5-5-21

Eric Lynn, a likely candidate to succeed Charlie Crist in Congress, is the latest guest on Political Connections with Adam Smith.

The St. Petersburg native and former national security adviser under President Barack Obama praised Joe Biden’s first 100 days as president and welcomed how much Biden’s style differs from President Trump.

“There are a lot of us who wake up every day and are thankful that when we hear statements by the president of the United States, they are on the news and not on Twitter,” Lynn said. “We’re thankful that when we listen to the policies of the president of the United States, we don’t gasp with concern.”

Lynn is widely viewed as a probable Democratic candidate for Congress if U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, as expected, runs for governor. He said only that he will seriously consider if Crist runs for governor, and the seat opens up. Other often-mentioned Democrats include state Reps. Ben Diamond and Michele Rayner, both of St. Petersburg.

“The people deserve someone who understands the complexities of the challenges here in the community as well as how to deal with Congress and the federal government,” said Lynn, who in Washington served as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense and as Special Advisor on the Middle East in the Policy Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Lynn ran against then-Republican Congressman David Jolly, but stepped aside in that race for former Gov. Crist to take on Jolly in 2016. Lynn then ran unsuccessfully against Ben Diamond for the Democratic nomination for state House District 52 in St. Petersburg.

Six years later it looks like Crist and Jolly, now an independent, could both be running for governor, and Lynn and Diamond could face off against for Congress. #stpetecatalyst #adamsmith #ericlynn #tampabay #radio #radiostpete